Pencils and Paintbrushes
by Lights aura858
Summary: One of the first rules of email is to never click on spam. It is a common fact that spam causes negative results. If only Sira and Tori had remembered that one little rule then maybe they wouldn't be in such a mess...
1. Chapter 1

The Beginning of a Tale

* * *

Lights aura: Hello and welcome to my first Yu Yu Hakusho story! I am your host Lights aura!

Amu: And I am Amu, your co-host! I am a blue wolf with a crescent moon mask over my right eye who is loved by all.

Lights aura: Excuse, my random creation's ego, she is still at that stage where she believes the whole world revolves around her…(sigh) I miss those days…

Amu: Random? Me? You're so mean.

Lights aura: This chappie is long and kind of slow but that is how introductions are. So please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did then my life would be a whole lot simplier.

* * *

Sira hated airports. They were always crowded, especially during this time of year. The holidays caused almost everyone to take flights back to their hometowns. The other reason she hated airports was that they smelled like old feet. If it weren't for her allergies, she would have probably had died from the horrendous smell. She sighed as she glanced at her watch for the tenth time that hour. "Where is she?" 

Sira was a typical freshman in college. She was short with long brownish blond hair and blue eyes. The person she was waiting for was her best friend in the entire world, Tori. Tori and she had been best friends all through high school. When they each went to their separate colleges, Tori had promised that she would visit her during winter break. Her plane was scheduled to land at 12:00 pm. It was now 1:00. "Where is she?" Sira repeated as she searched the crowds.

After a couple of minutes, she glanced back down at the blank notebook pages that lay before her. Being a writer, she constantly had to have a pen and paper around just incase inspiration struck. Unfortunately, due to her anxiety over Tori's delay, she hadn't been in a writing mood.

"Stupid delays! Why the hell are planes always laid over?" a voice said from above her.

Sira grinned at the figure. A young girl with shoulder length brown hair and green eyes stood before her. A demonic grin was stretched across her face.

"Hey Tori!" Sira said with a grin. "What ever kept you? I was so bored that I was about to go annoy the security guards."

"Well, that would have been bad since you would have been tazed and then put in jail leaving me stuck at the airport forever." Tori said as she rolled her eyes. "Stupid lay overs. They suck ass."

"We can complain and gossip once we get into the car" Sira said as she motioned Tori to follow her. "I want to get out of this hell hole as soon as possible."

"I second that idea!" Tori said. She paused for a moment as she sniffed the air. "I smell old feet."

"Just hold your breath," Sira said as they swung an arm on each other's shoulders and walked towards the baggage claim.

* * *

"So how was art class?" Sira asked as they drove down the highway. Tori was an artist who had been drawing ever since she was six. Her whole family was artisitc so it was natural for her to have a love for it. Unfortunately, her parents and she didn't share the same ideas for her career. Her parents wanted her to take business classes so she could have a "real job" as they put it. She, on the other hand, could care less about the inner workings of the business world. 

Tori shrugged. "It was okay. The teacher was a little psycho." She leaned back in her seat. "For instance, she got really upset with me because I didn't come in to work on my art project on homecoming."

"Wow, that's intense." Sira said. "Are you still planning to major in art?"

"Not sure," Tori said truthfully. "But don't worry; I still plan to do the illustrations for your novel."

Sira grinned. "But, of course."

"Are you still planning to double major in broadcast journalism and cinema?"

Sira nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

Tori shook her head. "You need to have at least a minor in creative writing. You know you should follow your passion for writing."

"And you need to follow your passion for art" Sira added.

"Touche," Tori admitted. "Change of subject?"

"Sounds good," Sira said as she turned off the highway. "So when are your parents coming home?"

"In a couple of days," Tori grinned. "You are going to spend so much time with me that you will be sick of me."

"I already am," Sira said. She received a playful pounce as her response.

* * *

"Home sweet home!" Sira exclaimed as she twirled around in her foyer. After an hour long drive, they had finally arrived at Sira's house. 

"Meh, your home looks the same" Tori said as she followed her inside. "I can't wait till your mom cooka."

Sira glared. "Is that the only reason you came to visit me?"

Tori gave her a dopey grin. "Yes, but I guess you could be a reason too."

Sira rolled her eyes before glancing down at her watch. Seeing the time, her eyes widened. "AH! LUUUUUUUUKE!" She yelled as she ran into the den and turned on the TV. A couple seconds later, Tori heard Sira singing rather loudly and slightly off key. "Where you lead, I will follow! Anywhere, that you tell me too. If you need, need me to be with you. I will follow where you lead!"

Tori rolled her eyes as she entered the den. "I still can't believe you are watching Gilmore Girls. You've seen the episodes a hundred times. "

"But it's Luke, and Lorelei, and Rory and Kirk" Sira protested. "You've got to love Kirk."

"You. are. obsessed." Tori said, enunciating every word.

"Shut up. You made me this way." Sira said as she continued to watch the TV screen. "Ha! Who gives a damn about ducks anyway! Ha! Luke is priceless."

"Hey, while you are admiring Luke's wit, I'm going to check my email on your computer."

"No! I am currently obsessing" Sira protested. "Therefore no outside devices are permitted to be on. Wait till commercial." She blinked twice. "Ha, ha, that's the slowest stoplight I've ever seen!"

"Oiy!" Tori said as she slouched into a chair. "This is going to take awhile." She glanced around the room. It indeed still looked the same. The miniature Dickens village still sat out on the countertop, regardless of the season. Norman Rockwell plates lined the shelves. A couple of the Christmas decorations had already been put up. For instance, red wooden block letters sat on the top of the TV that spelled noel and reindeer Annalees were perched on the table behind the sofa. She had always been secretly jealous of all the decorations and work Sira and her family would put into Christmas. Tori sighed as she returned her gaze to the TV.

* * *

After sitting for fifteen minutes watching Gilmore Girls, Sira finally aloud herself to be torn away from the TV. They went downstairs and flipped on the lights. Sira quickly went to her computer and logged in. "Let me check my email first, then I'll let you check yours." 

"Fine," Tori said as she peered over her shoulder. She frowned. "Hey, what's that email?"

"Which one?"

"That one" Tori said as she pointed at the top of the screen.

"Aw, Tor, you just got your fingerprint on my screen" Sira whined.

"Si!"

"Fine, I'm opening it," Sira said. Her mouse hovered over the email. "You know, curiosity can kill the cat."

"Or make it wiser" Tori countered back.

Both girls stuck their tongues out at each other.

"We are so immature" Tori commented.

"I know, isn't it wonderful?" Sira said as she opened the email. "What the hell?"

Both girls leaned in closer.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Sira asked.

"Yes, but I don't believe it" Tori said, still in shock.

The email in question was a rather peculiar one. All it said was:

Would you like to play a game?

Yes No

"This is too freakin' weird" Tori said as she read the email over again.

"It looks like the yes and no buttons are hyperlinked," Sira muttered as she rolled the mouse over them. "It could be a virus."

"Or maybe it isn't," Tori said. A strange look was in her eyes.

Sira knew exactly what her friend was thinking. It was a look that had gotten them into countless predicaments through high school. "Nuh, uh, no way. This is my parent's computer. I would be so screwed if it crashed."

"That is if." Tori said with a grin.

"I said no!" Sira said as she crossed her arms. "And my word is law."

"Okay," Tori said resigned. She shrugged, "You know, you're missing Gilmore now."

"Ah Luke!" Sira exclaimed as she turned away. As soon as Sira's eyes left the keyboard, Tori clicked yes.

"What the hell?" Sira shrieked. "My computer is going to crash!"

"Shut up! It's doing something" Tori said as she watched the screen.

Resigned to her fate, Sira turned her attention to the screen. "If my computer dies, you are so going to pay."

"Shh," Tori said. The email opened up to a white page. On it was one sentence:

Be patient, the game will begin soon.

Everything went pitch back.

Ever since she was little, Sira had an abnormal fear of the dark. She had no idea how it happened or why but ever since then, she would not cope well in complete darkness.

"Ah! It's the end of the world!" Sira's shriek drifted through the dark room. "I'm going to die!"

"Calm down, Si. The lights just went out." Tori's voice drifted back.

"Yeah, but you know how much I hate the dark." Sira said.

She was met with silence.

"Hey Tori!"

No response.

"Tori, this really isn't funny."

No response.

"Tori?"

"Are you afraid of the dark?" A voice whispered in her ear.

"AH! I'M GOING TO DIE!" Sira shrieked as she jumped into the air.

The lights came back on and Tori was rolling on the ground laughing her head off.

"That was not funny" Sira murmured as she clenched her fists.

Tori sobered up. "You're right it's not funny" The side of her mouth twitched. "It was hilarious!" She broke into a fit of laughter.

Sira rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Well, I'm glad to see that my misery is so entertaining to you."

"Yeah, me too." She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "I wonder what caused the black out?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe it was that virus that is now infecting my computer." Sira said sarcastically.

"Your computer is fine" Tori said. "See for yourself."

Sira walked over to her computer to be certain. Sure enough, her computer was exactly as they had left it.

"See," Tori said with a grin.

"Yeah, you're right." Sira admitted. "But I wonder what that game was all about."

"Who knows," Tori said as she sat up. "Let's go shopping!"

"And those two thoughts relate how?" Sira asked amused.

Tori shrugged. "Don't know. So shopping?"

Sira grinned. "I'm in."

"Great! You're driving!" Tori said as she headed for the exit.

Sira was about to follow her when something dawned on her. She paled. "Oh shit!"

Tori looked back at her friend and frowned. "What?"

"I missed Gilmore Girls! Luke, Kirk! Please forgive me!"

"I think they will forgive you since you've seen the episodes a hundred times" Tori said as she dragged her friend upstairs.

* * *

An hour later and they were in the mall. As usual, it was already decorated with giant red ornaments hanging from the ceiling and a Christmas Trees stood in the center of the mall. 

"I love the decorations! They are so beautiful." Sira mumbled.

"Yeah," Tori said dreamily. Her eyes widened as her gaze landed on a familiar figure. "Oh my god! It's Santa! Let's go see him." For some reason, Tori still had an obsession with meeting Santa Claus. Each year when the mall sponsored him, she would drag her family or Sira with her to go and meet him. It had become some what of a tradition.

"You remember what happened last year?" Sira asked. "We were nearly killed by the parent's death glares and you nearly broke Santa's hip when you tried to sit on his lap."

"Hey, I didn't realize he was so fragile. I thought he would be like in the Santa Clause Movie."

"Number 1: The guy who played Santa Clause was Tim Allen not an 88-year-old man. Number 2: It's Hollywood. Nothing is freakin' real in Hollywood including women's chests."

"Well, that is true," Tori admitted.

"How about we get some Coke Cola." Sira said as she eyed a nearby stand.

"You know I don't drink soft drinks," Tori said.

"And how do you live with yourself?" Sira asked with a grin.

Tori rolled her eyes. "You are addicted to Coke."

"Blame my mom. I learned from her." Sira said as she headed over to the stand. It was believed that the obsession for coke was passed down from woman to woman in Sira's family. Their bodies, as Sira commonly said, were made up of 1/3 coke instead of water.

As they walked over to the stand, a movement out of the corner of Tori's eye caught her attention. "Oh shit!"

"What?" Sira asked as she followed Tori's gaze. "Oh,"

Walking straight towards them was Alexis Delanoir. She was perfection itself with long tan legs, bright green eyes, long blond hair, surgically enhanced breasts… Anyway, she was considered the most popular girl at their old high school. Even now, she was surrounded by men and women alike trying to appease her. Since, Tori and Sira had never tried to please her whims, they had kind of been marked on her black list. Which sucked, a lot.

"Evasive Action! Let's move! Move! Move!" Tori said as they raced in the opposite direction of the impending doom.

Seeing a table in the back corner, Sira motioned Tori and yelled. "Dive! Dive! Dive!"

They dove quickly behind the table, causing many people to look at them funny. After a moment, they risked a look through the gaps in the chairs.

Less than a moment later, Alexis appeared in their line of vision. Her group of lackeys swarmed around her.

"Note the evil creature in its natural habitat" Tori whispered. "See, how it is at its happiest when surrounded by its mindless minions. It lives off low fat yogurt, sex, and destroying the lives of the inferior."

"I swear, she is a Mary Sue," Sira hissed. "You know, those characters that are absolutely perfect in every way and end up causing someone to fall in love with them even though they have no personality what so ever."

"Yeah, I know what you mean" Tori said. "Hey isn't that Stephen?"

"What?" Sira snapped her head back towards the scene. A handsome young man with shaggy brown hair and green eyes was standing there talking with Alexis. He was the star soccer ball player in high school and seemed to be immune to Alexis', er, charms… that is until now. "No!" Sira wailed. "I have lost all respect for you!"

Tori dragged Sira to the ground just before Stephen and Alexis spotted them. "Are you trying to get us caught?" Tori hissed.

"No, I am suffering from being mentally scarred and my eyes being burned by the horrible sight I just saw." Sira murmured.

Tori rolled her eyes. "Get over it. We're in college now."

"Thank you for your sympathy." Sira said sarcastically.

"You're welcome" Tori said with a grin. They both frowned as they sensed that something was off. It took them a second before they realized that the mall was completely silent.

Sira was first to pop up followed by Tori.

"Uh, Tori, where did all the people go?"

"That's a good question," Tori said as she looked around.

The mall was completely deserted.

"Hello!" Tori called.

"Olly, olly, ox and free!" Sira yelled.

"What?" Tori looked at her friend weirdly.

Sira shrugged. "I heard it in a movie once and I've always wanted to say it. I thought now would be a good a time as any."

"That's…what the heck is that?" Tori said as she looked across the room. A strange gray blob was walking into one of the department stores.

"Should we investigate?" Sira asked with a grin.

Tori grinned back. "I do believe we shall."

They only took a couple of steps when all the sudden their ears were filled with the noise of people. Stephen and Alexis stood before them staring in surprise.

An evil grin spread across Alexis' perfect face. "Well, well, well,"

"Run like your ass is on fire!" Sira yelled as Tori and she tore past them and raced into a department store. After running for five minutes through the maze of clothing racks, Tori and Sira decided to take a break.

"I think…we've lost them" Tori panted.

Sira nodded as she let her gaze travel over the many shoppers. Her eyes rested on an elderly man who was browsing a coat rack. As she stared, the old man faded for a second before returning to normal. She looked around but no one else seemed to notice. "What the heck?"

"What, is the bitch back?" Tori asked as she frantically looked from side to side.

"No, that man over there just…faded for a second." Sira said. The second part she said more to herself. "It kind of reminded me of a TV with an antenna. It was almost as if the image was lost for a second."

Tori frowned as she placed her hand on Sira's forehead. "Are you feeling okay or has the shock of Stephen going to the dark side finally gotten to you?"

"I'm serious" Sira said as she put a hand on each side of Tori's face and turned it in the direction of the old man. "Watch."

They watched for five minutes and nothing happened.

"Great, I am stalking old men. This is probably the lowest point in my life." Tori muttered.

"I swear it happened" Sira said. Why hadn't it happened again? It couldn't have just been a random occurrence. She ignored the part of her mind that said she might have imagined it. "Honest."

"Yeah, sure" Tori said as she looked away. Her eyes landed on a young woman browsing the clothes section. The woman faded from sight for an instant before returning to normal.

"Ack! That woman faded!" Tori shrieked causing a couple of people nearby to stare at her.

"Ha! I was right! There is something weird going on!" Sira said triumphantly.

For the second time that day, the lights went out.

"Ah! It's the end of the world again!" Sira's shriek echoed through the mall. "I'm going to die."

"Sira, it's just another black out." Tori said as she fumbled through the darkness.

"I hate this! This sucks! Somebody better turn the lights back on right now or I am going to physically hurt something!"

The lights flickered back on and Tori and Sira found themselves alone once more.

"Oh crap! Now where did all the people go?" Tori frantically searched for some sign of life.

"This day is just plain weird," Sira said as she looked around as well. Something brushed up against her leg. Looking down, she saw a furry gray animal staring back up at her. "Ah! I'm being molested by a furry blob!"

"Hey it's that creature from before" Tori said completely ignoring Sira's freak out. It looked up at Tori with its big wet black eyes. "Aw, it's kind of cute."

"It's a molester" Sira mumbled as she hid behind Tori.

The creature's mouth spread into a grin. "Are you ready to play the game now?" It asked in a creepy child-like voice.

"The molester speaks!" Sira exclaimed.

"Since when do animals speak?" Tori asked.

"Time to play!" It said as a black hole appeared behind it. The creature was sucked inside along with everything else that wasn't bolted down.

"What the hell!" Tori yelled as Sira and she clung desperately to a pillar that supported the ceiling.

"We're going to die!" Sira moaned. "This sucks!" They could feel their feet leaving the ground as they continued to cling desperately to the pillar.

"Hey Sira!" Tori yelled over the whistling of the black hole. "Since we're about to die, I need to tell you something."

"What?" Sira asked.

"I was the one who ate your cookie last year" Tori yelled.

"It was you!" Sira yelled angrily. "You made me think that I had already eaten it."

"What can I say, I'm a great liar" Tori yelled.

At this point, both girls lost their grip on the pillar.

Clinging to each other, they screamed as they were sucked into the black hole.

* * *

Meanwhile in Reikai, the prince of death was having a particularly stressful day. He had over a thousand papers he had to approve and all he wanted to do was relax. Letting out a sigh, he leaned his head on his hand and picked up a paper. Another demon hoping to work for him in order to have his past crimes erased. Like he hadn't seen that one before. He was about to put it aside when an ogre came rushing in. 

"Lord Koenma! Lord Koenma sir!"

"What is it ogre?" Koenma said irritably. He really wasn't in the mood for surprises.

The ogre however was too frazzled to notice. "This report just came in for you. It was marked with high importance."

"Let me see it" Koenma said as he snatched it away from the ogre. As he read the report, his eyes widened. "What!" He exclaimed as he stood up and slapped his hands on his desk. "A huge portal from another dimension appeared without my consent! Is this true, ogre?"

"That's what the report says," the ogre said hesitantly. "This is bad, isn't it sir."

"Who knows what got through," Koenma rubbed his forehead as he sat back down in his chair. He suddenly felt exhausted. "My father is going to kill me."

* * *

Lights aura: That's the end of the first chappie! 

Amu:…Wow, it took you twelve pages before you introduced a Yu Yu Hakusho character…

Lights aura: Well, I needed to do a little build up. Anyway, I have the next chappie done I'm just re-editing it. Oh, and if you are reading Musical Beaver, don't worry I haven't given up on that piece. I'm planning to upload a chappie sometime soon.

Amu: (glares at Lights aura) Yeah, you've been lazy…

Lights aura: Anyway, Please READ and REVIEW! I love reviews, they make me happy. See ya next chappie!


	2. Dining with Octopuses

Dining with Octopuses

* * *

Lights aura: Okay, so I was going to wait for my first review but I decided to upload another chappie anyway. I figured it might entice reviews.

Amu: (mutters) If people are still reading.

Lights aura: Amu!

Amu: I'm just saying…

Lights aura: Anyway, I hope you enjoy the next installment

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I only own Amu, Sira, and Tori.

* * *

Both Sira and Tori were rudely awakened by a blast of arctic wind.

"Ah it's cold!" Sira shrieked as she jumped up and began to rub circulation back into her arms.

"Weren't we just in a mall?" Tori muttered as she too tried to warm herself up. Their jeans and thin long sleeved shirts weren't do a very good job of protecting them from the sub zero weather.

Some guy in a bundled up jacket stopped to look them over. "Here go get some food," He said as he threw some money at them.

"What, do we dress so badly that we look homeless?" Tori cried out as she danced in place.

"Hey, this looks like yen," Sira muttered as she picked up the coins.

"Yen?" Tori asked, completely forgetting about the man. "Don't they use yen in Japan?"

They looked at each other in confusion.

"You don't think…" Sira began.

They both grinned and shook their heads. "Nah,"

Taking the man's advice, the girls went to look for a place to eat. After an hour of searching they finally found a small café.

"Why the hell don't I recognize anything?" Sira mumbled as Tori and she sat down in a booth.

"I know, it's like we're not in our hometown anymore," Tori said as she gazed at the menu in front of her. "And since when do restaurants serve octopus and rice balls?"

"Let's think back for a moment" Sira said as she played with the fork in front of her. "You opened an email that probably had a virus in it and the lights went out."

Tori glared "Not my fault. Let's see, then we were in the mall trying to hide from evil incarnate."

"Then that freaky weird flickering stuff happened and we met the creepy molester blob," Sira added.

"And then that black hole sucked us in and we woke up here," Tori said.

"It's a wonder we're still alive" Sira said as she slouched back into her seat.

A waiter came up and asked for their order.

"What country are we in?" Sira blurted out. She wasn't sure why but she felt she needed to ask the question.

Both Tori and the waiter looked at her weirdly.

"I beg your pardon?" He asked confused.

"Yeah, Sira are you feeling alright?" Tori asked.

Sira was determined though, "I said what country are we in?"

"You're in Japan, miss." The waiter said. "Now can I take your drink order?"

Tori and Sira paled at what they heard. Sira could barely comprehend what he had just said. There was no way they could be on the other side of the globe. That was the kind of thing that would happen in a fairytale.

Tori wasn't fairing much better either. She couldn't grasp the fact that she was in another country without any memory of flying there.

"Are you two alright?" The waiter asked worriedly.

Sira was the first to snap out of the daze. "Uh, yeah coke, please."

"Ice tea" Tori responded still in shock.

The waiter casted them a weird glance before walking away.

As soon as he was out of hearing range, Tori hissed, "How the heck are we in Japan?"

"I'm just as confused as you are," Sira said with a frown. "Maybe it…"

"It was not the email," Tori snapped. She sat up on her knees so she could peer over the little wall beside her. "It's funny that we didn't…" Her eyes widened. "Meep!" She yelped before quickly shrinking into the booth.

"Why are we meeping?" Sira asked curiously.

"Because I think I just lost my mind." Tori said as she huddled in the corner of the booth.

"You mean you've just realized this?" Sira asked teasingly.

"Shut up, and look at the table in the left corner," Tori muttered.

Sira sighed as she looked over the booth. Her gaze landed on the table in the corner. "Meep!" She yelped as she hid in her side of the booth.

A couple of people gave them weird looks.

"So you saw them?" Tori asked.

Sira nodded.

"Good, then I'm not the only one going crazy."

Both girls peaked over their booth again to stare at the table. They couldn't believe it. It was the famed four from the anime series Yu Yu Hakusho.

"That's Yusuke Urameshi" Sira muttered as she stared at a young man with jelled black hair.

"And that's Kazuma Kuwabara" Tori added as she watched a man with orange hair laugh. "And look, there's Kurama." She added as she pointed to the man with long red hair and green eyes sitting next to Kuwabara.

"And look even Hiei there" Sira said as she pointed to a short black haired man. He looked like he wanted to kill everyone in the room at that moment. "I never deemed him as the social type."

They both slid back down into their seats. They were unable to focus and barely able to think. Could it be true? Could they have really been transported to an anime?

"Hey Si" Tori asked.

"What is it Tor"

"Could you pinch me?"

Sira frowned. "Why?"

"Because maybe this is just one messed up dream and I will wake up any second now in my nice comfy bed" Tori said.

"Oh, good point. Well, if I'm going to pinch you then you have to do the same for me" Sira said.

Both girls held out their arms.

"On the count of three then?" Tori asked.

"One"

"Two."

"Three!" They both said as they pinched their arms.

Both girls yelped.

"That hurt!" Tori said as she withdrew her now throbbing arm.

"What do you expect? I was pinching you," Sira muttered as she rubbed her arm. "Crap, this must mean that this is real."

They were silent for a couple of moments.

"I DON'T WANT TO BE STUCK IN AN ANIME!" Tori yelled causing many people to look at them.

"Shut up, will you?" Sira said as she tried to assure people with a grin that everything was alright. "I don't need you to turn into a spaz."

"You mean you don't want me to turn into you?" Tori asked sweetly.

Sira glared. "I'm ignoring that remark due to the circumstances. Anyway, if I remember correctly from the fan fictions I've read…"

"You still read fan fiction?" Tori asked.

"…"

"Heh, heh, heh."

"Well, at least I don't still watch Goof Troup" Sira countered.

"It reminds me of my childhood" Tori muttered.

"Anyway," Sira continued. "In the stories, the characters end up running into the main group, becoming friends with them, falling in love with one of them, getting this really crazy power, saving the day, then going home."

"Crap that sounds like a lot of work. Can't we just skip to the part where we go home?" Tori asked.

"Do you see any random portals leading back to our dimension anywhere?" Sira asked.

"No."

The waiter came back and handed them their drinks. He asked them if they wanted anything to eat but they declined. Suddenly neither one had much of an appetite.

They both peered over the booth again.

Tori sighed. "So we are supposed to fall in love with one of them, right? I wonder which ones we have to fall in love with."

"Well, Kayko and Yusuke and Kuwabara and Yukina are together which leaves…" Their eyes landed on the two demons. "Crap, I don't want to end up with Hiei. He is a freakin' psycho."

"And I don't want to end up with Kurama. He has long hair" Tori whined.

They sank back down in their seats.

"Crap! I hate rules. They suck! I want to defy authority!" Tori announced.

"Yeah, why do we have to follow the sue's rules?" Sira asked.

"That's it!" Tori said as she sat up in her seat. "We will become the anti-sues!"

"Oh my gosh, it is genius and cynical! I love it!" Sira laughed then added as an afterthought. "I hope we don't turn out to be the bad guys."

"Yeah, that would suck. Don't they usually die in the end?" Tori asked.

"Yep, and dying would suck."

"Definitely," Tori said. She looked past Sira and paled. "Oh shit! They're leaving."

"What!" Sira whirled around. "That's not how the rules go." Sure enough the guys were heading for the door.

"Screw the rules. If we don't hurry up and catch them, we are going to miss our window of opportunity." Tori said as she jumped out of the booth.

"Wait!" Sira called as she shoved her hands into her pockets.

"What?" Tori asked impatiently.

"Do you know how to count yen?" Sira frantically spread out the change on the table.

"I don't know. Just leave it all there" Tori said, hinting at her stress.

"But what if we need it later?" Sira asked.

"Sira, they're leaving!" Tori raced towards the door.

Sira looked at the change one last time. "Damn it!" She yelled before following Tori.

They threw the doors open and raced outside. To their dismay, Yusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara were going separate ways. Hiei was no where in sight.

"Crap who do we follow, Sira" Tori said as she turned to her friend frantically.

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking" Sira rubbed her temples.

"Sira, think faster! They are almost gone!" Tori said as she shook Sira's shoulders.

"I can't think under pressure!" Sira screamed. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Let's follow Kuwabara."

They raced after him. Up ahead, Kuwabara turned into an alleyway.

"Crap! We're going to lose him" Tori said in between breaths.

"We still have to think of something to say to him, you know." Sira said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we can't just say: Hi we're from another dimension where you are an anime and we know everything about you. He would probably think we are insane stalkers or something."

The girls rounded the corner.

"Good point but what are we…." Tori trailed off.

Kuwabara was no where in sight.

Both girls came to a halt.

Tori said as she surveyed the alley. "Damn it, he just turned the corner. We couldn't have lost them that quickly."

"Lose who quickly?" a deep male voice asked from behind them.

Both girls shrieked as they clung onto each other.

"Ah! It's a rapist!" Sira shrieked.

"I'm not a rapist" the voice said sounding hurt.

Both girls looked up at the stranger before them. It was the one and only Kazuma Kuwabara.

Tori and Sira gaped at him.

Kuwabara stared at them with one eyebrow raised. "So, are you going to tell me why you were following me?"

* * *

For once, neither girl could think of anything to say.

"Are you two okay?" Kuwabara asked worriedly.

Sira snapped out of her daze. "Uh yeah we're fine. Actually, the reason we followed you was because we needed to talk to you…" She looked over at Tori for help.

"Oh my god, you really are real" Tori muttered as she continued to gape at him.

"Is she going to be okay?" Kuwabara asked.

"Uh, yeah, she'll be fine. When she is under a lot of stress, she sometimes goes into these weird spaced out modes. In five minutes, she'll be back to normal." She cast an evil glare at her friend.

"So what did you want to talk to me about…"He trailed off.

"Oh!" Sira said as realization hit her. "I'm sorry. My name is Sira and the spaced out girl over there is Tori."

"This can't be happening" Tori muttered.

"Nice to meet ya I'm…"

"I know who you are, you are Kazuma Kuwbara." She quickly continued while he was caught off guard. "And we came to ask you for help."

"Me?" Kuwabara frowned. "Why me?"

"How can I put this in words so I don't sound crazy" Sira mumbled to herself. Realizing that Kuwabara was watching her she said, "Um, we're not from around here and out of the four, you seemed to be the most understanding one."

"What?" Kuwabara asked in surprise. "Are you saying you know about Urameshi and the others?"

"In a way," Sira said awkwardly.

Tori blinked. "What the hell?"

"Welcome back!" Sira said cheerfully.

Tori glanced over at Kuwabara. "How long has he been standing here?"

"For five minutes" Sira replied.

"Crap, I hate when I do that," Tori muttered.

Kuwabara's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Wait, how do I know that you aren't a demon in disguise?"

"We're humans!" Sira said as she motioned to herself. "I mean look at us. Do we look like we could kill you?"

Kuwabara frowned. "Well, your spirit energy is low."

"See," Tori said.

"I'm not sure…" Kuwabara said.

"Aw, come on," Sira moaned in frustration. "It's not like we're some evil demons disguised as humans who have come to trick you so we can still your beloved Yukina away…" Tori stepped on her foot to get her to shut up.

Kuwabara's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, how do you know about Yukina and me?"

Sira froze, her expression mirroring the words Oh Crap.

Since Sira seemed to be incapacitated at the moment, Tori spoke up. "Oh, we've heard tidbits and such, nothing much." She laughed awkwardly.

Kuwabara frowned. "I'm not sure I'm buying this. I'll have to talk to the others then I'll let you know." He said as he began to walk away.

"Now look at what you've done" Tori hissed. "We've lost our chance to go home."

"I'm sorry," Sira protested. "I was so frustrated that I blurted it out and…" She stopped in mid-sentence as she went completely rigid.

"Are you okay?" Tori asked worriedly.

"Something just touched my leg," Sira whispered.

"You're just imagining things" Tori said.

"No I'm serious. Something just touched my leg" Sira insisted.

Before either could react, Sira was pulled away. She let out a scream as a long black tentacle lifted her into the air.

Tori gasped as she backed away. The tentacle was connected to a giant black octopus. Its red eyes glowed as its sharp teeth mashed together. "Lookie! Lookie! What I've found! Two lost children all alone."

"I am not a child. I am a young adult, you freak!" Sira yelled as she tried to break free from its grasp.

Tori was helpless. She was human after all so there was no way she could beat a giant octopus. "Kuwabara!" Tori yelled hoping he would listen to them.

Kuwabara, who was half way down the street, turned around and froze.

"Shit!" He yelled as he summoned his spirit sword.

Tori and Sira, however, were too busy to notice his reaction.

"Don't worry Sira!" Tori yelled as she dodged a tentacle. "I'll think of a way to safe you."

"Can it be soon" Sira yelled as she tried to loosen the tentacle's grip around her waist. "Preferably before I get eaten?"

"I..wah!" Tori shrieked as she tripped and fell. Seizing the opportunity, the octopus wrapped its tentacle around her. He lifted her near his face.

"Now I have two meals! Yum!" The octopus said with a grin.

"I swear! If I live I will never eat sushi again!" Sira yelled.

"You never ate sushi" Tori pointed out.

"Not the time, Tori!"

"Hold on!" Kuwabara yelled as he sliced the tentacles holding the girls.

Now free, the girls pried themselves from the tentacles and went to hide behind Kuwabara.

"Just stay behind me" Kuwabara said to the two shivering girls.

"No need to tell us twice" Tori said as she tried to soothe the frightened Sira.

With one swipe, Kuwabara cut the octopus in half. It fell in a crumpled heap. He let out a sigh as he let his sword vanished. Turning around, he saw both Sira and Tori huddled together looking scared out of their minds. "Hey," he bent down so he was eye level with them. "Are you two alright?"

Tori smiled weakly. "Heh, we'll be fine. Neither Sira nor I have ever been attacked by a demon before so it's kind of a new experience."

Kuwubara frowned. "I wonder why it attacked you especially with me nearby." He shrugged. "Oh, well, I better tell the others about this so it's cleaned up by morning. I don't think it's safe for you two to stay by yourselves so why don't you stay at my house tonight?"

"Really! Thanks so much!" Tori said excitedly. "Isn't this great, Sira?" She asked looking back at her friend.

Sira burst out laughing.

"Are you okay?" Tori asked worriedly.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Kuwabara made chopped sushi! Get it! Chopped Sushi! Ha! Ha! Ha!" She abruptly passed out.

Kuwabara frowned.

"Um," Tori said as she looked from her unconscious friend back to Kuwabara. "Maybe we should go to your house now."

Kuwabara nodded as he scooped Sira up. "Alright, I'll call them once we get there."

* * *

Lights aura: End of chappie 2!

Amu: Another long chappie! It's a miracle! Now get back to work on your other fic.

Lights aura: (runs into corner) Meep!

Amu: Anyway, I am supposed to say to please please please REVIEW! Reviews bring inspiration and more nonsense from us. See you next chappie!


	3. The Meeting

The Meeting

* * *

Lights aura: I'm back with a new chappie!

Amu: We hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I only own my crazy imagination.

* * *

Sira woke up to someone poking her. Why did she have to be woken up? She had had such a nice nap. She groaned as she turned over.

"Wake up Sleeping Beauty!" a voice sang as the poking continued.

"Go to hell," Sira mumbled as she tried to scoot away from the poking attack.

"Been there and it sucked. So I decided to come back and harass you for the rest of your life" The voice continued.

Sira sat up and glared at Tori. "You can be so annoying. You know that, right?"

Tori shrugged. "It's a gift."

Now fully awake, Sira realized that she was no longer in the alley where she had passed out. Instead, she was in a small room. Sira looked around in confusion. "Weren't we being attacked by a giant octopus?"

Tori nodded. "Yep, but Kuwabara saved us. You were kind of out of it at the time. You were convinced that chopped sushi was funny."

Sira shrugged. "When I am in shock I think everything is funny. Someone could set me on fire and I would think it was hilarious."

A demonic grin spread across Tori's face.

Sira glared. "Don't even think about it."

"I have no idea what you are talking about" Tori said innocently.

Someone in the doorway cleared her throat. Looking up, they saw a brown haired woman with a smoking cigarette in hand.

"So, you're awake," Shizuru said as she brought the cigarette up to her mouth. "Kuwabara went out a couple of hours ago. He said he wouldn't be back until tomorrow and to stay here."

"You mean we're housebound?" Tori moaned.

Sira cocked an eyebrow. "We would have been lying around if we were back at my house so what's the difference?"

"I am being forced too" Tori replied.

"Anyway," Shizuru continued, "I have to go out today and won't be back until later tonight. You are welcome to what ever you need just don't completely destroy the house."

"Roger!" Sira said as she saluted Shizuru.

"You can count on us!" Tori added as she saluted as well.

Shizuru just shook her head before leaving the room.

"So," Sira said as she stood up. "What time is it?"

"Two in the afternoon," Tori replied.

"WHAT? I have wasted half a day away? Noooo!" Sira said as she collapsed on the ground.

Tori shook her head. "Well, it's your own fault. I tried to wake you up but all you did was turn over and mutter about cinnamon buns and Chris Evans."

"Mmm, a perfect combination," Sira said dreamily. "And you know not all of us can be morning people."

"Yes, that ability seems to only be reserved for amazing people such as myself" Tori said with pride.

Sira glared. "Just for that, I'm going back to sleep."

"No! We must explore!" Tori said as she tugged Sira to her feet.

As they walked out into the hall, Sira grasped Tori's shoulder.

"What?" Tori asked.

"Really long wooden hallway. You know what that means…"

Tori's face lit up as she grinned. "Sock Sliding!"

They both checked their socks before they prepared themselves. With a running start, they slid down the hallway. Sira came to a gentle stop while Tori barreled into the wall.

"Ow!" Tori moaned as she rubbed her head.

"Ha! That probably woke the neighbors up" Sira said with a grin.

"Unlike you, they were up hours ago" Tori teased.

Sira glared. "You're mean and I'm hungry."

"Wow, ADD much?" Tori asked.

"Shut up! Let's go raid the fridge and find something amusing on TV."

Tori grinned. "Oh, that's sounds like fun!"

Glancing in the fridge, the girls found themselves staring at strange and unusual food. The only food they could identify was the ramen, the basic food source for any college freshman, and rice balls. After finding something that looked somewhat edible, the girls collapsed on the couch in front of the TV.

"Oh, this couch is comfy" Sira said as she snuggled into the pile of pillows that littered the sofa.

"I wonder what's on," Tori said as she flipped on the TV. She began to flip through the channels.

A flash of colors caught Sira's attention. "Oh, stop there!" She said as she pointed to the screen.

"What?" Tori's eyes widened. "Oh my god, Japanese Power Rangers!"

Sira leaned back on her arms. "When you were little, didn't you always want to be a power ranger?"

Tori grinned. "But of course. Which one did you want to be?"

"The pink ranger. How about you?"

"I wanted to be the yellow because everyone wanted to be pink" Tori said.

"Ah, defying society's standards even at a young age." Sira nodded. "You are amazing."

"Thank you," Tori frowned, "These rangers look different from the ones I remember."

"That's because this is the Japanese version." Sira said. Then with a grin, she kicked the air. "Take that!"

"What are you trying to hit?" Tori asked.

"The spirit of the octopus that tried to eat me" Sira said. "I hope he goes to hell."

"Me too," Tori sighed, "Okay bored of power rangers, changing the channel."

The rest of the day was spent eat sugary foods and watching TV. By the time evening arrived, they were insanely hyper. As Shizuru walked into the house, she was greeted by two hyper bouncing girls

Shizuru blinked. "What the hell?" She said as she dropped her groceries.

"Hey Shizuru!" Tori said with a wave.

"Need any help?" Sira added.

"What's wrong with you two?" Shizuru asked.

Tori laughed. "Yeah, funny story actually. You see we weren't sure what was exactly edible so we went for the food that we knew…which happened to be ramen and food that had lots of sugar in it and well, now we're hyper!"

"You can take the food to the kitchen," Shizuru said, still eyeing them carefully.

Sira and Tori each grabbed a bag and headed towards the kitchen. They sat down while Shizuru prepared dinner. They tried to protest but she said that in the state they were in, she didn't want them anywhere near a knife.

"So, anything interesting going on in the outside world?" Sira asked as she bounced in her seat.

"Well, Kuwabara found me and told me to tell you that you're scheduled to meet Koenma tomorrow afternoon."

"Oh, we get to meet the big man, I feel special," Tori said.

"He'll probably just try and erase are memories," Sira said. "Your brother didn't happen to mention why we are meeting Koenma, did he?"

"No, and I don't care either. What my brother does on his own time is his business not mine." She handed them each a plate. "Now eat up."

* * *

After eating dinner, they took their showers; thanked Shizuru again for her hospitality, then went to bed. After a few minutes of silence past, Sira called out. "Hey, Tori?"

"What?"

"Are you awake?"

"No, I'm just talking in my sleep." Tori sat up in her bed and faced Sira. "What's up?"

"I was thinking," Sira began, "Why do you think we're here?"

"So we don't get eaten by another creepy demon?" Tori asked.

Sira shook her head. "No, that's not what I meant. What I mean is why were we sent here? We've got to have a purpose, right?"

"That's a good question," Tori said, her brows furrowed as she thought. "We're not exactly helpful. I mean, look what happened last night. We would have been dead if it weren't for Kuwabara."

"That's what I don't get," Sira said as she sat up. "In every single Mary Sue story, the sues have an amazing power."

"But we have already established the fact that we aren't sues" Tori reminded her.

"Yeah, but still, this whole thing is messed up. In every story, there's an evil character that only the heroes can destroy."

"Hey Si, this isn't a story, this is real," Tori quickly added, "so to speak."

"Yeah, but still, I feel something's not quite right" Sira said with a frown.

"Fine you keep brooding over that thought" Tori said as she sunk back down in her bed. "I however, plan on waking up tomorrow morning."

"Party pooper" Sira teased as she too sunk back in her bed. In minutes, they were both asleep.

* * *

Tori yawned as she sat up in her bed. Glancing over at Sira, she saw that her friend was still completely out. Since they still had a long time before their meeting with Koenma, Tori decided to let her sleep. The later in the day it was, the less likely Sira would try to rip her head off. Tori changed back into her clothes from the day before then went to the bathroom. She stuck her tongue out at the reflection in the mirror. She had the worst case of bed hair in the morning. Grabbing a hair brush, she began to brush her hair out. After ten minutes, she had her hair looking some what decent. She wasn't too pleased with herself since she had no makeup on and there was only so much one could do with a brush.

"Sira and I really need to find a way to go shopping" Tori muttered as she exited the bathroom. She slowly walked towards the kitchen. She was about to enter the kitchen when she noticed that there were three people at the table. She quickly turned around. Unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough.

"Hey Tori! Come and have breakfast with us!" Kuwabara called from the table.

"I'd rather not. I look like a hag," Tori said as she tried to slink away.

"You look fine, Tori" Shizuru said, "now sit down and eat."

Tori grumbled slightly but did as she was told. As she slid into her seat next to Kuwabara, she looked at the other two males. Both Yusuke and Kurama were studying her, something she found rather unnerving. "Hey isn't there supposed to be another one of you?" She asked hoping they would quit staring.

"Yeah, but he's not coming," Yusuke said with a grin. "We'll be coming with you when you visit Koenma."

"Yeah," Tori yawned as Shizuru placed a plate of food in front of her. "I would show more excitement if it weren't for the fact that Sira kept me up all night."

The guys chuckled at this.

"Am I correct in saying that you are Tori?" Kurama asked.

Tori nodded as she swallowed. "Yep, and I already know who you two are. You are Shuichi Minamino also known as Yoko Kurama and the guy next two you is Yusuke Urameshi, a half demon. And to answer you're next question: no, I am not a stalker."

Both Kurama and Yusuke looked at her in surprise.

"How does she know that?" Yusuke demanded.

Kuwabara shrugged. "Beats me, they haven't told me yet." He looked towards Tori. "So, are you going to explain how you know?"

"I am enjoying my breakfast now" Tori said as she swallowed another bite.

Kuwabara glanced back to the hallway. "Do you think we should wake Sira up?"

Tori shook her head. "Not unless you want your head bitten off. The later you wake her up the better. She's like a rabid bear from hell in the morning."

The side of Kurama's mouth twitched. "That's an interesting description."

Tori shrugged. "Yeah, it's interesting but it's also true."

A loud crash resounded from inside the house. All three boys quickly stood up.

"What was that?" Kuwabara asked in alarm.

"Probably just Sira falling out of her bed again" Tori said.

"Does she do that often?" Kurama asked as the boys sat back down.

Tori nodded.

A couple of seconds later, a string of curses echoed down the hallway.

"Damn, she sure can curse" Yusuke said in amazement.

Tori shrugged. "She's a writer and believes that no word should have more power over another word that means the exact thing."

"That sounds reasonable," Kurama said.

The sound of feet dragging against the ground alerted them that Sira was on her way. A second later, she appeared in the doorway. She had already changed clothes and had thrown her hair into a loose half bun. She let out a loud yawn as she rubbed her eyes.

"Fall out of bed again?" Tori asked sweetly.

"The bed doesn't believe in preventing me from rolling over." Bleary-eyed she blinked a couple of times as she stared at the table.

"Yes, there are more people here," Tori said with a grin.

Sira grunted in acknowledgement as she dragged a chair towards the table. As soon as she sat down she put her arms, then her head on the table.

"Sira!" Tori whined. "Don't go back to sleep. Don't you want to meet Yusuke and Kurama?"

"They can come back later" Sira mumbled.

"But they're here right now," Tori pointed out.

"Unless they have cinnamon buns or Chris Evans, I'm not interested." Sira muttered.

"Who is Chris Evans?" Kuwabara asked.

"The guy who played the Human Torch in Fantastic Four. For some reason, she's become obsessed with him" Tori explained.

"That's cause he's really hott" Sira said. "No pun intended."

"What are cinnamon buns?" Yusuke asked.

Tori gasped as Sira shot up and stared at him. "What!" Sira exclaimed. "You've never had cinnamon buns? You poor deprived child." She looked from Kuwabara to Kurama. "Please tell me you have heard of cinnamon buns."

Both shook their heads.

"That's it! When I get back today I'm making cinnamon buns!"

Tori giggled. "Hey, you reminded me of Donkey from Shrek."

"That is exactly how I intended it to sound like."

"Well, that is utter genius!"

"Thank you very much, you are too kind."

"Those two are rather peculiar" Kurama said.

"I still can't get over how quickly Sira woke up" Yusuke said as he blinked. "What, did she take caffeine pills or something?"

* * *

After breakfast, Sira and Tori went back to their rooms to finish getting ready. When they were done, it was time for them to go.

"Hurry up you two!" Kuwabara yelled. "We can't miss the portal." Both girls rushed into the living room.

"Okay! Okay! Don't get your knickers in a twist" Sira mumbled as she put her hair up again.

"What?" Yusuke asked.

"You know that is a really old saying" Tori remarked.

Sira shrugged. "Yeah, but I like old things. They make me seem wise and important."

"It makes you seem weird," Tori said.

"The portal is arriving" Kurama announced causing both girls to stop bickering.

The portal was circular shaped. It glowed and wavered before them.

"Everyone ready to go?" Kuwabara asked.

Sira and Tori nodded.

Yusuke stepped through first followed by Tori and Sira then Kurama and Kuwabara.

The lobby was chaotic. Demons were rushing from one place to another desperately trying to accomplish their jobs.One such demon nearly collided into the group.

"Ow!" Tori moaned as she rubbed her arm. "I was just side-swiped by an ogre."

"Now that doesn't happen every day," Sira joked.

"Koenma's office is this way" Kurama said as he motioned them to follow him.

They followed the demon through a maze of halls before reaching Koenma's office.

"Why is his office so freakin far away" Sira moaned as they walked into the office.

"Well, at least we got some exercise" Tori said with a grin.

"You're intentionally being optimistic just so you can annoy, aren't you?" Sira asked.

"Pretty much."

The office was much bigger than they imagined it to be. Book cases covered the walls while stacks of paper cluttered the ground.

"So, you are the two girls I've heard about" a voice said. The girls glanced up to see a boy with a pacifier sitting behind a desk.

"It is an honor to meet you Lord Koenma" Sira said as Tori and she bowed.

Koenma lifted an eyebrow. "You were right, Kuwabara. They do seem to know a lot."

Both girls laughed sheepishly.

"Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara, please go see Botan. She has a couple of things she has to give you" Koenma said.

Kuwabara and Kurama nodded as they headed to the door.

"I am not a spirit detective anymore and the little twerp still bosses me around," Yusuke muttered.

"I heard that Yusuke!" Koenma yelled as the doors shut behind Yusuke.

Both the girls began to giggle.

"As for you two" Koenma said directing his attention towards Sira and Tori. "I know for a fact that you are not from this dimension."

"What!" Sira said in surprised.

"How do you know that?" Tori asked.

"There is no file, record, or anything related to you in this world" Koenma explained. "And since a portal from another dimension opened without my consent, I only had to put two and two together."

"We have no idea how that portal appeared" Sira said. "Though I believe it was that stupid email's fault."

Tori groaned. "It was not the email!"

Koenma frowned "Email? What email?"

Tori sighed. "There was this stupid email in Sira's mailbox that asked if we wanted to play a game. Just for fun I clicked yes…"

"And then the lights blacked out" Sira finished.

"They are not related," Tori said.

Sira frowned. "Then how come the creepy furry molester asked us if we were ready to play the game?"

Tori sighed. "I still think he was a figment of our imaginations."

"Yeah, and I suppose ending up here and almost being eaten by a giant octopus is part of our imaginations as well."

"Enough!" Koenma said as he rubbed his temples. "You two are giving me a headache."

"Sorry," they both mumbled.

Letting his arms drop, he glanced back at them. "I didn't call you in here to interrogate you. From Kuwabara's statement you do not seem to pose a threat."

"Then why did you call us in here?" Tori asked curiously.

Koenma let out a sigh before meeting their anxious gazes. "The reason why I called you here is because your dimension has vanished."

* * *

Amu: Geez, a cliffhanger. I didn't see that one coming.

Lights aura: I hate to do this, but I will not upload the next chappie until I get at least one review. I get slightly discouraged when I don't receive responses.

Amu: So please remember to READ and REVIEW!


	4. Bats in the Belfry

Bats in the Belfry

* * *

Lights aura: Oh my gosh! I ask for one review and I get six! You guys are amazing!

Amu: You should see her. She is doing the happy dance right now.

Lights aura: Anyway, here is your reward for the wonderful support.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I only own my two crazy characters, Sira and Tori.

* * *

Sira and Tori stared at Koenma in disbelief.

"What do you mean our dimension has vanished?" Sira asked, hoping she had heard him incorrectly.

"I mean it's gone, non-existent, almost as if someone took an eraser and rubbed it away," Koenma said.

"But how could this happen," Tori moaned as she collapsed in her chair. Both were almost to the point of tears.

"I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but right now there is no way I can send you back" Koenma said sadly.

"So much for just going home" Sira mumbled.

"That's not all," Koenma added. "It seems that you were not the only ones who came through the portal."

"There were others?" Tori asked, stunned. "Who were they?"

Koenma frowned. "We're not sure. There have been disturbances all around Mekai that I feel are somehow connected to the portal's opening."

"Maybe it's more of those octopus demons," Tori mumbled sarcastically.

Sira shivered. "Don't remind me of the giant sushi."

"Anyway," Koenma continued, "for the time being, I feel that you are in no major danger."

"Hey, as long as we get to stay at Kuwabara's house, I'm happy" Sira said with a grin. "You can go sock sliding in there."

Koenma raised an eyebrow at Sira's sudden change in mood. "Well, that was all I needed to discuss with you. Do either of you have any questions."

"I don't think so," Tori said.

Koenma snapped his fingers. "I knew I was forgetting something." He opened one of the drawers and fished through it. After a couple of moments, he finally pulled out a shiny rectangular card and handed it to Tori.

"Oh, a shiny credit card," Sira said as Tori held it up for her to see.

"It's a debit card," Koenma explained, "with an exact budget on it. You should be able to buy some clothes and other things you need. After that, you'll need to find jobs."

They both quickly bowed. "Thank you so much, Lord Koenma!"

Koenma shrugged as he sat back in his seat. "No problem, just remember this if I ask you for a favor."

Tori frowned. "A favor? Why would you need a favor from us?"

Before Koenma could respond, the ogre stepped into the office.

"Ogre," Koenma said, "take Sira and Tori to where Yusuke and the others are."

"Follow me, please," The ogre said as he opened the doors.

The girls glanced at Koenma curiously before following the ogre.

* * *

Tori let the ogre walk slightly ahead before whispering to Sira. "Hey, we have a problem."

"You know, this card is really shiny," Sira said as she continued to stare at the card in her hand. "I wonder how he is able to get it to be this way."

"Stop being distracted by shiny things," Tori said as she snatched the card away from Sira and stuffed it into her jean pocket. "We have something very important to discuss."

"Aw, you took my shiny thing away," Sira said with a frown. She rolled her eyes at her friend's glare. "Alright fine, you have my full attention. What is this new problem?"

"Uh, didn't you hear Koenma in there?" Tori said, "Our dimension has vanished. We kind of can't go home if there is no home to go to. So your whole story idea of how things are supposed to go doesn't really work here."

Sira tapped her temple. "You know, it almost seems as if someone is trying to prevent us from going home…" She trailed off for a moment before looking at Tori. "But you are wrong. My story idea still works."

"Uh, how?" Tori asked.

"He said that our dimension is not here at the present. He didn't say anything about it being gone forever," Sira said with a grin. "I think that our dimension will appear again once we figure out whatever our purpose is here."

"Aw man, someone is determined not to let me go the easy way," Tori glared at the ceiling, "I curse you and hope you die a horrible painful death."

"Why are you cursing the ceiling?" Sira asked.

"I'm not; I'm cursing whoever brought us here."

"You mean the furry molester?"

"I still think he was just a figment of our imaginations." Tori said.

Sira snorted. "Yeah, I'll believe that when Hiei twirls around in a tutu while singing _Somewhere __Over__ the Rainbow_."

"That would be an amusing sight," Tori said with a grin.

Sira frowned. "Actually that would just be disturbing."

"Ahem," the ogre coughed.

Both girls looked up and realized that they had completely forgotten to follow him.

"We're coming!" Tori said as Sira and she quickly caught up with him.

* * *

After weaving through the complicated corridors, they once again were back at the entrance. Over in the corner of the room, Yusuke and the others were talking to Botan, one of the ferry girls who worked for Koenma. Her blue hair was pulled up into a ponytail and her pink eyes sparkled as she talked. Standing to the left of her was a very familiar figure.

Sira's mouth stretched into a demonic grin.

"Sira, you can't annoy Hiei now," Tori said.

Sira stuck her lip out. "Why can't I? Annoying him would be so much fun!"

"Because I want to be home when you annoy him. That way when he wants to kill you, I can be locked in my room, safe."

"Fine," Sira said as she stomped over towards the group.

"You're acting like a five-year-old," Tori called as she followed.

"I can act like a five-year-old if I want to," Sira retorted.

"Oh, nice comeback, I'm shaking" Tori joked.

They finally reached the group.

"You must be Sira and Tori!" Botan said cheerfully as she hugged both girls.

"So you are the grim reaper," Tori said with a grin, "is it fun going around and reaping souls?"

Botan shrugged. "Most of the time the job is fun although it can be tiresome."

"So," Yusuke said slyly, "when were you going to tell us that you were from another dimension?"

"When the topic: are you from another dimension came up," Sira said.

They laughed.

"So we really are an anime in your world?" Kuwabara asked.

"Yep, and lots of people watched you," Tori replied. "Oh hey, Kuwabara, is it okay if we still stay at your house for the time being?"

Kuwabara grinned. "No problem, you guys can stay as long as you like."

"You're the greatest Kuwabara," Sira said with a grin. "We'll so make it up to you."

The carrot top blushed. "Aw, it's nothing."

"Any redder and you would think he was some form of a mutated tomato," Yusuke remarked.

"Shut up, Urameshi!"

"So are you guys almost done?" Tori asked quickly, hoping to avoid yet another fight between the two.

"Yes, the portal is scheduled to arrive at any minute," Kurama replied.

As the guys continued to talk, Tori glanced over at Sira. Sira had a strange expression on her face and her eye was twitching.

"Don't you dare," Tori said.

"Hey Hiei!" Sira said in a sing-songy voice, "How are you today?"

Tori smacked her forehead as the others gaped at Sira.

"Hn, what's it to you?" Hiei said with a glare.

"You mean you are not having a happy sunshine day?" Sira asked still in that sickly sweet voice. "Are you not a happy little elf?"

Hiei's eye twitched. "Speak again and I swear I will cut your tongue out of your mouth."

"Well, you can't really hurt me since if I die you will be sent to prison" Sira said with a grin. "You know it's kind of funny to meet someone who is slightly shorter than me."

Hiei let out a growl of frustration before flitting away.

"Bye midget!" Sira said as she waved at the place that he had previously been.

Tori groaned. "I do not know you."

Sira laughed sheepishly. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. You know I have very little will power."

"That probably wasn't the best idea," Kurama said with a frown, "Hiei is known for having a bad temper."

"Yeah! Then everything's going to be good" Sira said cheerfully.

The guys looked at her oddly while Tori laughed sheepishly.

"I really hope he isn't going around and killing everything in sight" Yusuke murmured.

"Hey look, the portal's forming" Kuwabara said.

They all quickly braced themselves as they stepped through.

Once they were in Kuwabara's house again, they took a moment to relax.

A sharp digging sensation in her right thigh reminded Tori of something she needed to discuss. "Oh, by the way, is there a mall somewhere nearby?" Tori asked as she pulled the card from her pocket.

"Yeah, Koenma gave us a shiny debit card" Sira said as she pointed to the card in Tori's hands.

"I swear, sometimes I think you are part crow," Tori remarked.

"Caw! Caw!" Sira said as she flapped her arms, "Caw! Caw!"

"Yeah there's one nearby" Yusuke said as he tried to ignore Sira's horrible bird imitation. "We can take you there."

Both girls looked at each other before looking back at the boys in shock.

"_You_ are going to the mall with us, willingly?" Tori asked in amazement.

"There's got to be a catch" Sira added suspiciously.

Kuwabara rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well, there is an arcade on the first floor."

"Ah ha! The catch, I was right!" Sira said as she raised her forefinger in the air.

"Nice deducing Sherlock," Tori said as she tried to imitate a British accent.

"Why thank you my dear Watson," Sira said, trying to imitate a British accent as well.

They both laughed at the awkward looks on the guy's faces.

"Don't worry," Tori joked. "We weren't actually going force you to go shopping with us."

"We're really crazy when we shop," Sira added, "That is something we would never subject you to."

"Yeah, just get us there and we'll meet you at the arcade when we're done," Tori said.

"We'll take my car then since it's parked outside," Kurama said as they headed to the door.

* * *

"This mall is huge!" Tori remarked.

"And it has so many decorations," Sira added. After an hour of shopping, the girls had bought some clothes, necessaries, and a couple of extra items. Now, they were merely browsing the mall for entertainment.

"Oh my god," Tori said as she pointed to the center of the mall. "There's a Japanese Santa Claus!"

"We are not going to see the Japanese Santa Claus," Sira said.

"B-but maybe this one is different," Tori whimpered.

"I have already been nearly killed by American parents. There is no way I am getting in the way of Japanese ones." Sira glanced at a display case and her eyes lit up. "Oh, we should get a light up reindeer."

"Why would we need a light up reindeer?" Tori asked, slightly amused.

"So we could put it out on the lawn," Sira sighed dreamily, "I've always wanted a light up reindeer."

"Yeah, I don't think Koenma would think that is necessary," Tori said, shaking her head.

"B-but its head moves."

"If I can't see the Japanese Santa then you can't buy the light up reindeer."

Sira let out a sigh. She knew she was defeated. "Aw, crap," Sira crossed her arms. "Let's just go find the others."

* * *

As they walked up to the arcade, Kurama was walking out.

"We aren't late, are we?" Tori asked as Sira and she ran up.

Kurama smiled. "Oh, no, actually you're just in time."

"I beat you, Kuwabara" Yusuke shouted from inside the arcade.

"What? No fair! I want a rematch!" Kuwabara yelled.

Yusuke walked out of the arcade followed by Kuwabara.

Seeing us, Yusuke asked. "So, how did your shopping go?"

Sira held up the bags. "Good, we got exactly what we needed."

"Quit changing the subject, Urameshi!" Kuwabara said with clinched fists. "We need a rematch."

"Uh, yeah there's just one problem" Yusuke said seriously. "We're out of quarters."

Tori and Sira nearly face vaulted.

"You spent all your money at the arcade?" Sira asked.

They both looked at her sheepishly.

Tori let out a sigh, "What ever, can we go now? My arms are about to fall off."

Both boys reluctantly nodded as Kurama stifled a laugh.

The parking deck was completely deserted when they walked out. Yusuke and Kuwabara were arguing once again while Kurama, Sira, and Tori watched amused. As they continued to walk, Tori glanced up at the ceiling to see a pair of glowing red eyes staring back at her. Puzzled, she reached out and grabbed Sira's shoulder.

Sira frowned. "What?"

"Can a ceiling have eyes?"

"No, why?"

Tori pointed upwards.

Sira glanced up to see the red eyes staring at them. "Uh, that's a little weird."

Glancing back, Kurama noticed the two girls staring at the ceiling. "Is something wrong?"

In an instant, the ceiling was covered with pairs of glowing red eyes.

Tori paled. "Oh shit."

"Bats!" Sira shrieked.

All at once, hundreds of bats fell from the ceiling and began to swarm around the group. Luckily, Sira was able to take cover behind Kuwabara and Yusuke. Tori, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. Caught out in the open, she was beaten mercilessly by the bats' wings. As she tried to get away, one of the creatures sunk its teeth deep into her left arm. She let out a scream as she swatted it away. Clutching her throbbing arm, she was backed up against a wall. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the inevitable. She was surprised when she was engulfed in the smell of roses. Opening her eyes, she saw Kurama standing before her, his rose whip lashing out at the bats.

"Yusuke, Kuwabara," Kurama yelled over the shrieking of bats. "These bats are from Makai."

Yusuke smirked. "Great, that means I don't have to hold anything back."

"Hey, Urameshi," Kuwabara said with a grin, "Let's see who can kill the most bats."

"Sounds good to me."

"Just get rid of them," Sira said as she stared at the bats wide-eyed.

In a matter of minutes, all the bats had been killed.

Still clutching her arm, Tori sank to the ground. It felt as if it was a hundred degrees and the searing pain was making her feel weak and dizzy. Beautiful jade eyes came into her line of vision.

"Are you alright?" Kurama asked, concern etched in his face.

"My arm," Tori hissed. "It hurts like hell."

Kurama's eyes widened as he saw the bite marks on her arm. "You've been bitten."

"Hey, are you two alright?" Yusuke called as Kuwabara, Sira, and he raced over to them.

Seeing her friend in pain, Sira instantly became worried. "Tori, what's wrong?"

"She has been bitten by one of the Makai bats" Kurama said worriedly. "I need to make her an antidote before the effects set in."

Tori let out a groan as her eyes rolled back and she collapsed. Kurama caught her before her head hit the pavement.

The color drained from Sira's face. "Oh my god, Tori!

* * *

Lights aura: Voila! The end of this chappie!

Amu: (shakes head) You are so random, you know that, right?

Lights aura: I'm ignoring you. Anyway, as before I would like at least one review but more are always appreciated.


	5. Carol of the Bells

Carol of the Bells

* * *

Lights aura: Yeah! More reviews!

Amu: Reviews make us so happy!

Lights aura: Your reward is this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I only own my crazy characters.

* * *

Tori frowned. Her head and arm were throbbing like hell. It took her a moment before she realized that her eyes were closed. With great effort, she finally was able to open her eyes. 

She was back at Kuwabara's house. Glancing down at her arm, she noticed that it had been neatly bandaged.

"I'm glad to see that you're awake," a voice said from beside her. Kurama was sitting beside her bed with a book in hand. "How are you feeling?"

Tori slowly sat up, wincing slightly. "I feel like someone ran me over multiple times by a train."

Kurama chuckled slightly. "That is to be expected. You did receive a nasty bite from that Makai bat."

Tori glanced at her bandaged arm. "So, how long until I am fully healed?"

Kurama frowned. "I gave you the antidote as quickly as I could. Given the degree of the bite, I would say about a week before you are feeling like you're old self."

"A week!" Tori groaned as she collapsed into her bed again. "I can't stay house bound for a week."

Kurama smiled sympathetically. "Don't worry, I'm sure it won't be too bad."

Tori frowned as she sat up. "Wait, where's Sira?"

"After I convinced her that you wouldn't die, she said something about wanting to be productive."

The smell of cinnamon filled Tori's nostrils. "Oh my gosh! She's making cinnamon buns!"

Tori quickly stood up only to realize a second too late that her legs wouldn't support her. Kurama caught her easily.

"Careful," Kurama said as he forced her to lean on him. "We wouldn't want you to hurt yourself anymore.

Tori's heart was fluttering like crazy. She mentally scolded herself. There was no way she was going to let herself develop a crush just because he had caught her. "Thanks," she said sheepishly.

As they walked down the hallway, Sira's voice rang out. "Okay, they're done."

"Finally," Yusuke yelled.

"Hey, leave one for me, Urameshi," Kuwabara added.

Kurama and Tori entered the room to see Kuwabara and Yusuke cramming their cinnamon buns down their throats while Sira stared at them with one eye twitching.

Spying, Kurama and Tori at the door, Sira smiled. "Oh hey, glad to see you're up. Why don't you two grab some cinnamon buns?" She eyed Kurama and Tori curiously.

Tori sent her a death glare before saying, "How do I know those are safe? You might have put some mind control potion in it."

Sira shook her head sadly. "I told you, I'm not planning to take over the world anymore. I realized I needed to make my goal more realistic."

"Oh?" Tori raised an eyebrow.

Sira nodded. "Yep, I'm going to take over Disney World."

If Kurama wasn't supporting her, Tori would have face vaulted. "Yeah, that is definitely more realistic." She sat down in one of the chairs and grabbed a cinnamon bun. "Mmm, cinnamony."

Kurama took one as well. "You must be quite the chef if you can make these."

"Yeah, they're delicious," Kuwabara added.

Sira laughed as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Actually, I am a horrible cook. I only know how to make peanut butter sandwiches, cinnamon buns, toast, and coffee."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You drink coffee?"

"Nope, I hate it but I do know how to make it."

"And it is so good," Tori said. "You should make some for your poor crippled friend."

"You're not crippled, you're injured," Sira corrected. "Big difference."

There was a loud knock at the door. Finishing his last bite, Kuwabara answered the door. When he returned, Hiei was with him.

Sira's demonic grin returned. "Hello midget!"

"Sira," Tori scolded, "That's not very nice."

Sira rolled her eyes. "Oh fine, hello vertically challenged person." She held a plate of cinnamon buns in front of his face. "Would you like a cinnamon bun?"

Hiei's eye twitched for a second before he glared. "Get those disgusting things out of my face before I slice your hand off."

"Man, somebody is touchy today," Sira murmured as she set the plate back on the counter. Hiei turned his attention to Kurama. "I need to speak to you, fox, alone."

Kurama nodded as they both headed outside.

"I wonder what they're talking about," Tori wondered.

"We should spy on them," Sira remarked.

"Oh, like on Alias," Tori's eyes sparkled, "I want be like Syd."

"Everyone wants to be like Syd. She kicks butt and gets Vaughn," Sira said.

Kuwabara leaned towards Yusuke and whispered. "Do you have any idea what they are talking about?"

Yusuke shrugged. "Beats me."

The two demons returned both wearing blank expressions.

"That was quick" Tori remarked.

Sira shrieked as she grabbed her head. Glaring at Hiei she hissed, "Jerk."

A smirk appeared on Hiei's face before he flitted away.

"You okay?" Kuwabara asked.

"Yes, though Hiei's a complete prick." She glanced over at the plate of cinnamon buns and smirked. One was missing.

* * *

A week passed slowly for Sira and Tori. There wasn't much to do at the house besides eating, watching TV, and sleeping. So when, Yusuke and Kurama came over the following Monday, you could imagine that they were surprised at the girls' change in behavior. 

Tori was sprawled out on the couch, her head hanging off the couch slightly as she casually flipped through channels.

"What's wrong with her?" Yusuke asked, slightly amused.

"So…bored…" Tori mumbled as she flipped through another channel.

"They both have been stuck in the house all week," Kuwabara said.

Crashing and banging came from down the hallway.

Kurama and Yusuke raised an eyebrow.

"She doesn't have a marble notebook and when she can't write her story ideas down, she gets really cranky." Tori sat up and let out a sigh. "I want to go out!"

"Yeah, but you need to rest some more," Kuwabara said with frown. He winced as he heard more crashing. "Though, it might be a good idea to get Sira out of the house for a little bit." Another loud crash resounded from the recesses of the hallway. "Or at least what's left of it."

"If you can get her out," Tori said, "She's determined not to leave me alone in this house."

"Then I'll stay with you then," Kurama said nonchalantly. "I have some reading I need to catch up on anyway."

Tori fell of the sofa in surprise.

Yusuke and Kuwabara burst out laughing.

"Are you okay?" Kurama asked as he stifled a laugh.

"Uh, I'm fine," Tori said with as much dignity she had left. "I'll go find Sira."

Tori trudged toward her room. "I'm coming in so don't throw anything at me," she said as she opened the door.

Sira sat in the middle of her bed positively fuming. "Did I mention," Sira said, her face bright red. "That this dimension sucks."

"Many times," Tori sat on the edge of her bed. "The guys offered to take you out for a little fresh air."

Sira frowned. "I'm not leaving you here by yourself. You'll be driven insane from boredom."

"That's the thing," Tori said as she rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, "Kurama said that he would stay with me so I won't be alone."

Sira cocked her head to one side, "Can you handle him by yourself?" Before Tori could protest she added, "Don't think I didn't notice that little bit that happened last week."

Tori let out a sigh, "Geez, Sira, you read too much into everything. Trust me I'll be fine."

"Fine, I'll go." Sira glanced at her friend. "But when you fall in love with him and we get sent back to our dimension, don't come crying to me."

"Sira!" Tori yelled as she threw a pillow at her.

* * *

Once they had finally forced Sira to leave, Tori and Kurama returned to the couch. 

"You know," Tori murmured, "You really didn't need to stay with me."

Kurama shrugged. "It really isn't much trouble."

Tori glanced at the title of the book in his hands. "Dostoevsky's _Crime and Punishment_, eh? Are you trying to relive you're days as a criminal?"

"You've read it?" Kurama asked in surprise.

Tori smirked. "Both Sira and I read it last year in our AP English class. I thought it was really good."

Kurama smiled. "You are one of the few. Most people find his work rather dull."

"Well, I do think the first 150 pages are a little long-winded," Tori admitted, "But the whole concept of seeing the murder through the killer's perspective is really interesting. It shows that there is sometimes a unique reason why a crime is committed. Though Raskolnikov's reason was kind of weird."

Kurama chuckled slightly. "Yes, I do agree with you on that."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence for a couple of minutes.

Kurama glanced over at Tori. She had a sad thoughtful expression as she stared at the wall. "You're missing your home, aren't you?"

Tori blinked a couple of times before glancing back at Kurama. "What? Am I an open book to you? No, pun intended, of course."

"No," Kurama said, "I just had a feeling."

Tori sighed as she stared at her feet. "Yeah, I miss my home. It's only two weeks till Christmas. Knowing my mom, the house would be cluttered with Christmas decorations."

"So Christmas must be rather important in your family," Kurama said.

Tori laughed. "Are you kidding? Both Sira's family and my family are pretty much Christmas. We go crazy insane with decorations, presents, movies, food, singing, etc. It's practically in our blood." She let out a sigh. "Now, there's a good chance neither one of us are going to have it this year."

Unsure of what to do, Kurama put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

Tori shrugged, "Hey, you have nothing to be sorry about. It's not like it's your fault we're here." She let out a sigh as she smiled. "This topic is depressing. I think we definitely need a change in discussion."

* * *

An hour later, the others returned. 

"Lookie what I bought you!" Sira sang as she dropped something in Tori's lap.

Tori let out a gasp. "You got me a drawing pad!" She squealed with delight as she hugged the pad. "I'm…so…happy…"

"And that's not all," Sira said as she held something else out for Tori.

Tori squealed once again as she snatched the item from her. "Forest green nail polish. I can paint my nails!"

"Tell me that I am a maniacal genius," Sira said proudly.

"You are a maniacal genius" Tori replied.

"Thank you," Sira said as she took a bow.

"I'm glad to see that Sira is back to normal," Kurama said as he approached Yusuke and Kuwabara.

"Yep, once she bought a marble notebook. She was the happiest person in the world," Kuwabara remarked.

"I swear, I think she's bi-polar," Yusuke said as he shook his head, "One minute she is ready to kill everyone while the next she is happy and wanting to buy presents."

Two days had passed before Tori was finally free to leave the house. In celebration for this momentous occasion, Sira and she decided to go back to the mall they had visited previously. Since Yusuke and the others were busy attending to their own matters, they were forced to figure out where it was on their own. After forty-five minutes, they finally reached the mall.

"Wow," Sira panted, "That took a lot longer than I thought."

"We could have asked Shizuru for directions but no, you said you knew how to get there," Tori said sarcastically.

"Well, you know that I have a horrible sense of direction so it's your own fault for letting me talk you into it." Sira said cheerfully. "So, where do you want to go first?"

"Let's just browse until we find something interesting," Tori said. She let out a sigh as she let the background Christmas music flow through her ears.

_Hark how the bells. _

_Sweet silver bells._

_All seem to say._

_Throw cares away_

_Christ…mas…is…here…_

_Bring…ing…good…cheer…_

Tori frowned. "Sounds like they are having trouble with their stereo."

"That's not the only thing they are having trouble with." Sira said, her voice shaking slightly. "Look at the people."

Tori gasped. Like the music, the people had slowed down as well. "What's going on?" She breathed.

"So you are not affected by time inconsistencies," a deep male voice said from behind them. "How interesting."

Both girls whirled around. Hanging upside down from the edge of the second floor was a giant bat. Its face was human with glowing red eyes and long white hair. It eyed them curiously.

"Who the hell are you?" Sira demanded.

The creature cocked its head to one side. "My, you have a temper for one so little. My name is Akatsuki." He stared at Tori intently. "So, you were the one who was bitten by my minion."

Tori clutched her arm in pain. She couldn't understand why it was hurting so bad.

"Are you alright?" Sira asked.

"Fine," Tori hissed, "my arm hurts like hell, though."

Akatsuki made a clucking sound as he shook his head. "I don't see why they want both of you so bad. You're just humans." Before either could react, Akatsuki swooped down and wrapped its claws around Tori's shoulders. Tori screamed as she was hoisted in the air. Akatsuki flew through the glass ceiling sending shards flying everywhere. In an instant, he was gone.

Everything sped up to normal pace around Sira but she failed to notice. At that moment, she felt as if the world had stopped. Tears trickling down her cheeks, Sira slumped to the ground. "Oh my god," she whispered.

* * *

Lights aura: End of the chapter! 

Amu: Once again, a cliff hanger.

Lights aura: Anywho, a little funny tidbit, Sira's cooking abilities are actually mine. Supposedly, I can make really good coffee but since I hate coffee, I'm not sure if this is true.

Amu: (shakes head) You really need to learn how to cook.

Lights aura: (nods) Yeah, Hopefully I will learn, eventually. Anyway, please READ and REVIEW!


	6. The Rescue and Disappearance

The Rescue and Disappearance

* * *

Lights aura: Hello everyone! Here's a new chappie for you!

Amu: Freshly baked and just out of the oven.

Lights aura: Wow, that made me hungry…

Amu: It should, cookies are yummy.

Lights aura: (wipes drool away from mouth) Erm, anyway, I hope you enjoy the chappie!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I only own my characters.

* * *

"Hey watch where you're going!" someone yelled as she rushed by. That was about the seventh time she had run into someone but at the moment, Sira didn't care. She couldn't think clearly since her mind was cluttered by the images of Tori's kidnapping. It kept replaying over and over into her mind. Tears were streaming down her face, but she had long since given up trying to wipe them away. She knew she was hysterical at the moment and shouldn't be running aimlessly around but she felt the need to be productive. She once again ran into someone. The person grabbed her shoulders before she could run away.

"Woah wait a minute! Sira, hey are you okay?"

Sira glanced up into the warm kind eyes of Kuwabara. "She's gone," Sira said as she tried to fight back another batch of tears. "She's gone and I couldn't stop the creature from taking her." At that point, she completely broke down.

"Urameshi," Kuwabara called as he held Sira protectively. "Get over here."

Yusuke quickly walked over. "What's up?" His expression turned to concern when he saw Sira. "Sira? What happened?"

"Tori's been kidnapped," Kuwabara said. "We need to see Koenma and quickly."

* * *

Hiei and Kurama were already in the office when Kuwabara, Yusuke, and Sira arrived. By then, Sira had finally calmed down. The only remnants of her hysteria were her red eyes and tear stained cheeks. Kurama immediately went over to make sure she was alright while Hiei regarded her with annoyance.

"I am already well aware of what has happened," Koenma said as he shuffled a couple of papers. "It turns out that Tori's kidnapper is one of the creatures from the other dimension who has been wreaking havoc."

"Really?" Yusuke asked in surprise. "Who is he?"

"His name is Akatsuki, a bat creature who can control and manipulate bats. He was the cause of the Makai bat epidemic a couple of weeks ago."

"Hiei and I have been tracking the Makai bats for the last few weeks," Kurama said, "we had hope that they would lead us to who was controlling them."

"After the recent stunt he's pulled though tracking him was easy," Koenma said with a slight laugh. "Bringing a human into Makai can attract a lot of attention." He cleared his throat before he continued. "Anyway, I am having the coordinates printed out for you. I can send you through but you're on your own after that."

"I'm going," Sira said quietly. She hadn't spoken the entire time so they were all startled when she did.

After recovering, Yusuke frowned, "What did you say?"

"I said I'm going," Sira said, her voice filled with determination.

Hiei groaned. "You can't come…"

Sira turned on him, her eyes flashing angrily. "Frankly, I don't give a shit what you think Hiei. I don't care if I am useless and there is a good chance that I might die. My best friend needs me and I don't let down my friends." She took a deep breath before adding. "Plus, I am very hysterical and pissed off at the moment. If anyone tries to stop me, I swear that I will beat the crap out of them."

The room was silent for a couple of seconds.

Koenma sighed as he paged his assistant. "Ogre?"

"Yes Lord Koenma?"

"Inform Botan that one more is going to Makai."

* * *

Tori woke up with a stiff neck and a sore arm. _What happened?_ She thought as she slowly sat up. She was in a human sized bird cage dangling a couple of feet from the ground. She grimaced as she stood up. "Where the hell am I?" She whispered.

"Ah, my little birdie has woken up," Akatsuki said as he stepped out of the shadows.

Tori frowned as she grasped the iron bars. "I'm not your little birdie and I swear when I get out of here you are so going to regret kidnapping me."

Akatsuki smirked. "I highly doubt it. You're just a little human. You have no powers."

Tori growled as she clinched the iron bars tightly. She hated feeling insignificant and powerless. And this stupid birdcage wasn't helping her mood either.

A beep came from a monitor to the right. Eagerly, Akatsuki raced over and turned it on.

"I've captured the girl who was bitten by the makai bats" Akatsuki said proudly.

"Good, and the other girl?" the monitor asked. The voice was smooth and deep, yet there was something about it that made her want to shiver.

Akatsuki seemed hesitant to answer. "She is still with the spirit detectives."

"We need both girls or our plans are ruined" the voice hissed angrily causing Akatsuki to wince.

Tori craned her neck in an attempt to see who was talking but Akatsuki was in the way. She let out a sigh as she continued to listen.

"I don't see what is so important about those girls," Akatsuki said haughtily. "There just humans, what could they possibly do?"

The voice laughed. "Those girls are a lot more dangerous than you can imagine." The voice became serious again. "Get the other girl."

The connection quickly terminated leaving both Tori and Akatsuki in thought.

"Aw, look" Tori said sarcastically, "Akatsuki is nothing but a puppet."

Akatsuki whirled around with a glare. "Shut up you stupid human or my bats might decide to take another bite out of you." He pointed to the ceiling where around fifty bats were watching her hungrily.

Tori frowned as she flopped down in her cage.

Akatsuki grinned, "Don't be so sad, little birdie. Soon, your friend will join you in that cage." He began to walk away. "I have to go prepare for your rescue team. Now be a good birdie and stay. If you try to escape, my bats would be more than happy to eat a finger or two." With a laugh, he left.

Tori let out a sigh as she crossed her arms. She hated to be told what to do, especially from some stupid mutant reject. She glanced at the bats again. Still, she wasn't in the position to waltz out of there. As she leaned against the bars, she let her mind drift back to the conversation that she had overheard.

Who had been talking and more importantly, why did he want Sira and her? They weren't some super powerful demons who could destroy the world with a flip of a finger. They were humans, for Pete's sake. What the heck could they do? Tori let out a sigh. Something was up and it had nothing to do with the bats who were currently contemplating her as their next meal.

* * *

"Lord Koenma!" Botan yelled as she burst into Koenma's office, startling him. Her usually cheerful expression was replaced with one of anger. "Is it true that you allowed Sira to go to Makai? She could be…"

"Killed, I know." He said holding Botan's gaze with his.

Botan quickly looked away and said quietly, "But why…"

"Because," Koenma said seriously, "I have a hunch and if it is correct, then we could be one step closer to solving this problem."

"But what if you're wrong?" Botan asked as she met his gaze again.

Koenma smiled. "She's in good hands. They all care about Tori and Sira. Even Hiei is wise enough to realize he has to protect them. They will not let anything happen to her."

Botan let out a sigh as a faraway look appeared in her eyes. "I hope you're right."

* * *

Sira's eyes widened as she gazed at the scenery that surrounded her. "Makai is so…grey…and depressing. No wonder Hiei loves it here."

"I still can't believe, the toddler let you come," Yusuke said in disbelief.

Sira shrugged. "I didn't really matter to me. I was going to find a way regardless of his decision."

"Hn," Hiei grumbled before averting his eyes.

Sira sighed. "Yeah, I know you're not going to save my ass. Don't worry I don't want you saving me anyway."

"So," Kuwabara said quickly, "how far away are we?"

"The place where Tori is being kept should be over this hill," Kurama said, pointing to the giant mound of earth that loomed before them.

Sira wrinkled her nose in annoyance. "Oh joy. Hills."

"You could have stayed back with Koenma," Yusuke reminded her.

Sira's expression changed to one of determination. "Nope, I'm going to save my best friend. I'm coming Tori!" She walked a couple of feet ahead of the group before stopping. Looking back, she rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, "Um, maybe I should let you guys lead since I have no idea where I'm going."

The boys nearly face vaulted.

* * *

Tori's eye twitched as she sat up. The cage was really starting to grate on her nerves. She wondered what the others were doing at that moment. She wasn't sure how the boys would react but she had a feeling Sira was making a fool of herself. She was probably trying to lead the search and rescue team herself. Tori laughed slightly. Sira was a stubborn loyal friend but sometimes she didn't always think things through.

Tori let out another sigh as she fiddled with the end of her shirt. She was bored out of her mind. All she could do was wait to be rescued like every other damsel in distress.

Tori frowned. "I am not some stupid damsel." She glanced around the room as a decision became clear in her mind. "I'm getting the hell out of here." Looking up at the bats again, she noticed one of them was holding a shiny familiar looking object, the key to her cage.

"I hope they are as dumb as they look" Tori muttered as she stuck an arm outside her cage. "Hey bat with the key!" She yelled. It cocked its head at her irritably. "I've got a nice juicy arm you can bite!" She waved her arm up and down. The bat watched her arm hungrily.

"You know you want it," She said as she motioned the bat to come with her index finger. "So come and get it."

The bat unlatched itself from the ceiling and dived for her arm. _I have to time this perfectly, _she thought as she watched the bat fly towards her. Just as it was about to reach her arm, she pulled her arm back into the cage. The bat realized too late and slammed into the cage. Tori grinned as she pried the key from the stupefied bat. She unlocked her cage then jumped to the ground.

"Stupid bat," She mumbled as she fixed her clothes. A loud squeak reminded her of one tiny factor she had forgotten to take into account. The forty-nine other bats still latched onto the ceiling.

Tori's shoulders slumped as she let out a sigh. "Aw, hell." She ran out of the room screaming followed by the bats.

* * *

"Why is it that every bad guy has to have a creepy gothic looking castle?" Sira said to no one in particular. They had entered the grounds where Akatsuki and Tori were only to find a castle looming before them.

"I dunno," Kuwabara said with a shrug, "It must make them feel cool or something."

"Stupid cliché villains," Sira muttered, "when I write my stories, my villains are going to live somewhere crazy…like a yacht…or Dr. Seuss land. Yeah, that place could give anyone nightmares."

"It's strange," Kurama said as they walked down the stone hallways, "we haven't encountered any adversity so far."

A high pitch scream filled the air. Because of their excellent hearing, Kurama and Hiei winced as they covered their ears.

Sira grinned. "That sounded an awful lot like Tori."

"STUPID GOD DAMN BATS! WHY WON'T YOU JUST DROP DEAD ALREADY?" Tori yelled from up ahead.

"It seems Tori has run into some trouble" Kurama said slightly amused.

As they rounded the corner, they were greeted by the sight of Tori standing in the middle of a swarm of bats, defending herself with what appeared to be a coat rack.

"How did she get a coat rack?" Yusuke asked as they all stared at her curiously.

Seeing their stupor, Tori let out a groan. "Hey stop gawking at my coat rack and kill these stupid bats already."

The boys snapped out of their stupor and quickly took action. Within moments, the bats were defeated.

"I killed ten" Kuwabara said proudly as he glanced at Yusuke. "What about you Urameshi?"

"Twelve."

Kuwabara's mouth dropped. "What? You're lying."

As Kuwabara and Yusuke continued to fight, Sira raced over to her exhausted friend and hugged her. "Tori! You're alive!" She said, "and why do you have a coat rack?"

"Can't…breathe…" Tori said trying to loosen Sira's strangling grip.

"Whoops," Sira quickly let go and grinned sheepishly.

Tori glared at her as she wacked the side of Sira's head. "Are you nuts? We're in Makai. You could have died coming here."

"Hn, at least one of them has some sense," Hiei commented.

Sira glared at Hiei. "Shut up or I swear I will start quoting lines from Elf." She turned her attention back to Tori. "And you know I'm stubborn. There was no way I was going to let these guys save you without me here." She grinned again. "Besides you never answered my question about the coat rack."

Tori glanced at the coat rack in mild interest. "You know, I have no idea when I picked this up." She suddenly felt exhausted. She stumbled slightly as images began to blur.

"Hey, are you okay?" Sira asked. To Tori, her voice sounded as if it were far away.

Tori frowned. "I'm sleepy." She felt herself being lifted onto someone back. The smell of roses engulfed her senses.

"You smell like roses," Tori mumbled as she nuzzled into her new pillow. "I always liked the smell of roses."

Sira, Yusuke, and Kuwabara snickered as a pink tinge appeared on Kurama's face.

"Aw, ain't that cute," Yusuke smirked.

"She's just out of it," Sira said as she rolled her eyes.

A loud rumbling sound echoed through the castle. The group became alert as they watched their surroundings carefully.

"You think you can escape?" Akatsuki's voice boomed through the hallway. "Ha! I don't think so."

The ground beneath them collapsed. The guys reacted quickly and jumped to solid ground. Sira, who wasn't as skilled as they, wasn't so fortunate. She let out a scream as she fell into the hole beneath her.

Glancing back, Hiei noticed the girl falling. He grimaced. He knew what he had to do, but he wasn't at all pleased in doing it. "Stupid girl," he muttered as he jumped in after her.

* * *

Lights aura: Well, I wonder what will happen next…

Amu: Geez, you are really mean to your characters.

Lights aura: I know, isn't marvelous?

Amu: (shakes head)

Lights aura: Anyway, you know what to do. Review and I'll write some more.


	7. The Escape

The Escape

* * *

Lights aura: Hello again my lovely readers! We are here with a new chappie.

Amu: (nods head) Yes, we hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I only own the crazy imaginings of my mind.

* * *

Sira groaned as she slowly sat up. It felt as if every bone in her body was bruised and the slight oozing feeling sliding down the back of her head hinted that she had a nasty gash. A groan from nearby alerted her that she wasn't alone. Sira slowly opened her eyes to complete darkness. Only two words ran through her mind. Oh Shit…

Hiei groaned as he glanced up. There was no way he would be able to climb back up with the annoying human girl. He glanced over at the aforementioned girl and sighed. She really was pathetic, sitting there like a quivering mass. He glared. It was people like her that made the human race so pathetic.

"We're going," Hiei said as he stood up.

Sira raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Hiei? Is that you?"

"Hn," He began to walk away.

"Hey Hiei, wait," Sira hesitated for a second before continuing, "Would you hold my hand, please."

Hiei smirked. "Not unless you want me to cut it off."

"Please, Hiei," Sira said, desperation clinging to her voice. "I-I'm terrified of the dark. I need to know somehow that you are nearby."

"Hn."

Sira brought her knees up to her head. "I'm going to die in this horrible dark place." She glared in his direction with wide accusing eyes. "And it will be your fault you evil short person." She brought her knees up to her face again and began to sob.

Hiei rolled his eyes. This pathetic girl was really beginning to get on his nerves.

Sira felt someone grab her wrist and drag her to her feet. She gasped when she realized who it was.

"Keep up," Hiei said as he continued to drag her down the corridor.

Sira stared at him in surprise. He had actually held her hand. Of course, he was now dragging her down to god knows where and she was sure that her arm would be ripped out of its socket but still, he did what she had asked. Maybe he wasn't so bad. As they rounded another corner, Hiei yanked her arm harder. Sira glared. Never mind, he was still a jerk.

* * *

Tori awoke to the sounds of battle surrounding her. It took a moment before her eyes were able to focus. Kuwabara was fighting off hoards of bats with his spirit sword while Yusuke was squaring off with Akatsuki. Both were battered and bruised from their fight but neither was willing to give up. Glancing down, she realized she was on Kurama's back. He was holding her up with one arm while the other sliced the makai bats with the rose whip.

She leaned towards his ear. "So, what all did I miss?"

Kurama started slightly before jumping to higher ground. "I'm glad to see that you are awake." He said as he sat her down. For the moment, they were safe from the makai bats. "It seems that your captor was not too keen with the idea of us taking you away."

Tori smirked. "Yeah, well I wasn't too keen about staying there." She surveyed the battle scene with a frown. "Where are Sira and Hiei?"

"After you passed out the ground collapsed. Sira fell down the hole and Hiei went after her."

Tori's frown deepened. "That's not good. Sira's terrified of the dark."

Kurama put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, she'll be fine."

Tori shook her head. "It's not her I'm worried about. I'm worried about Hiei's reacion to her paranoia."

* * *

After an hour, Sira had become really grumpy. Her arm was really sore from the many times that Hiei had yanked it. _Stupid luck_ Sira thought. _Stupid darkness, stupid paranoia, stupid Hiei yanking my arm out of its socket._ She felt Hiei's grip tighten around her wrist. Sira frowned._ Stop reading my mind Hiei._ She felt his grip slacken quickly. Sira grinned satisfied. _Ha! Sira: one, Hiei zero. _

The sound of rocks tumbling startled her from her thoughts. Sira shrieked as she grabbed Hiei's arm.

"It's just some rocks," Hiei muttered, his voice hinting at his irritation.

"I'm going to die," Sira whimpered as she clinched his arm tightly. Hiei tried to loosen her grip but her paranoia seemed to give her some kind of super strength. The only way to loosen her grip was to cut her arms off.

_Must... resist... urge... to kill her,_ Hiei thought as he dragged her down the tunnel.

* * *

Akatsuki was trapped. There was no way, in his current state, that he could fight all three off at the same time. He knew he had only one option left. And that option, he was really not looking forward too.

Yusuke smirked. "Any last words before we kill you?"

Akatsuki forced a laugh. "Do you really believe that if you kill me that it is all over?" He spread his wings out to their full extent. "I am merely one of them. Where I fail, they will flourish." He jumped into the air before any of them could react. Catching a gust, he flapped around once above their heads. "This is merely the beginning." With one final flap, he disappeared into the clouds.

Kuwabara let his sword vanish as he frowned. "What a coward."

"Hey Tori, are you alright?" Yusuke asked as he glanced at the terrified girl cowering behind a rock.

Tori nodded as she stood up. "I'm fine at the moment."

"I suppose we should head to the meeting place," Kurama mused. "I'm sure that is where Hiei has taken Sira already."

As they began to walk away, Tori shivered slightly. Kurama's keen senses didn't fail to notice.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

Tori shook her head. "No, I just really hope I don't develop a paranoia for bats."

* * *

"Glorious Light!" Sira sang as she spun around. They had finally found the exit. Sira was etastatic that they had escaped from the creepy darkness. "This moment would be totally perfect…." She glared at Hiei, "If you weren't here."

"Hn." Hiei began to walk away.

Sira quickly caught up with him. She found the creepy atmosphere of Makai comforting somehow. It was probably because she was so happy to be out of the darkness that anything would seem great. She looked up at Hiei.

He seemed to be lost in thought and the atmosphere that surrounded him was cold and depressing.

_I wonder what he is thinking,_ Sira thought curiously. She focused her gaze on the back of his head. _I'm going to read your mind. I'm going to read your mind._ Sira thought over and over again.

After a couple of minutes, a sharp pain ran through her head. Sira yelped as she rubbed her head. "Was that really necessary?"

"Hn," was Hiei's only response as he continued to walk.

"Hn," Sira muttered sarcastically. She clenched her fists. _Why couldn't I have been stuck with Chris Evans_, she thought miserably. _At least he would have a sense of humor._

* * *

Tori let out moan. "Are we there yet?"

Yusuke snickered. "You sound like a three-year-old."

"I don't care," Tori said, "I was kidnapped and attacked by bats. I deserve to act like a three-year-old."

"Don't worry," Kurama chuckled. "We are stopping at the cave up ahead."

"Yeah!" Tori said as she ran quickly to the cave.

"I thought she was tired?" Kuwabara said confused.

"She's from a different dimension which means she's got to be a little weird." Yusuke smirked.

There was a loud shriek as Tori was tackled. The boys ran up just in time to see Tori protesting under Sira's death grip.

"Yeah! I'm not dying of boredom anymore!" She glared at Tori. "What took you so long?"

Tori finally pulled free from Sira's grasp. Rubbing her sides she said, "We had to convince an evil bat to let me go."

"How sad, did you let him down easy?" Sira said in mock seriousness.

Tori nodded. "Yep! He even was able to fly away in the end."

"Where's Hiei?" Kurama asked as he glanced into the cave.

Sira laughed. "Like he would stay five minutes with me if he didn't have to? After telling me that he would dismember me if I left this cave, he went searching for the portal."

Kurama glanced at his watch. "The portal is not due for another couple of hours."

"How dare he lie to me!" Sira said as she stood up. "I would so rip his bones from his body if it weren't for the fact that he was a demon and would probably kill me."

Tori patted Sira's head. "Good girl. You are finally showing some common sense."

"I'm not a dog," Sira said as she swatted Tori's hand, "Now, can we go inside the cave before I physically hurt something?"

Everyone snickered.

"Once again, the idea of your short self hurting something, very amusing." Tori said.

"I'm taller than Hiei" Sira protested.

"By an inch" Tori reminded her.

"Besides Hiei is a full class demon who has been known to kill people without a second thought." Kurama said. "He's a little bit more intimidating than you."

Sira glared at everyone's amused faces. Throwing her hands into the air, she yelled, "I hate you all," before stomping inside the cave.

"You know," Yusuke commented. "I think Hiei's rubbed off on her."

"If that's true then we're all screwed," Tori said as she trudged inside.

* * *

An hour later, Hiei was still missing, Kuwabara and Yusuke were outside of the cave arguing, and Sira was asleep on the cave's floor. This left Kurama and Tori sitting across the fire from each other. Tori watched Kurama curiously. He had an intent look on his face as he stared at the fire.

_I wish I had my sketch pad,_ she thought. She quickly shook her head before asking. "Something wrong, Kurama?"

He blinked before he looked up at her. "I'm fine, just pondering."

"You're worried about what Akatsuki said earlier aren't you?"

Kurama raised an eyebrow. "So you noticed?"

Tori shrugged. "Well yeah, but that's not the only thing." She looked down at the ground briefly before meeting his gaze. "When I was kidnapped, I overheard Akatsuki talking with someone else. I didn't see who it was but I could definitely tell that Akatsuki was taking orders from him."

"This is a dilemma," Kurama said as he brought his clasped hands to his chin. "It seems we have to deal not only with Akatsuki but an invisible enemy as well."

"That's depressing," Tori said jokingly.

"Portal's here!" Yusuke shouted from outside.

Tori bent down and shook Sira's shoulder. "Wakie! Wakie!"

Sira groaned as she turned over. "Go away."

Tori rolled her eyes and whispered into Sira's ear. "Sira, Chris Evans is here with a bouquet of roses for you."

"Where?" Sira said as she sat up excitedly. Yusuke and Kuwabara snickered while Kurama tried to keep his composure. She glared at Tori. "I hate you."

"Sure you do," Tori said as she helped Sira to her feet. "Portal's here, let's go."

Sira followed Tori and the others out. Hiei was waiting for them at the portal. She sent him one final glare before following Tori through the portal.

* * *

Akatsuki was a nervous wreck. Not only had he failed to capture the other girl, but he had lost the first girl as well. "They aren't going to like this…" He mumbled. He stopped in front of two large double doors. He took a moment to collect himself before opening them. Five silhouettes loomed before him.

"Well?" asked the one in the center. Its voice was deep and low with a slight growl to it.

Akatsuki nervously wrung his hands, "Well you see, I had the girl but then her friends came to rescue her and frankily, I was outnumbered." He could feel their glares boring into him. "But if you give me another chance, I will not under estimate them again."

"You've already had your chance," said a sing song voice. "Now you must pay."

Akatsuki shrieked as a bolt of lightning struck him. A second later, his charred remains fell to the ground with a sickening thud.

"Must you be so crude?" mused a young male voice.

"Sorry," the sing song voice giggled. "I just _love_ electrocuting things."

"We still have the girls to worry about," said a soothing eerie female voice. "The Arcos brought them here for a reason."

"That pesssky little critter is alwaysss getting in our way," said a voice that resembled the hiss of a snake. "But ssstill, two _human _girlsss? What could he posssssibly be planning?"

"It does not matter," said the deep voice, "as long as we have them in our possession, we will be victorious."

"Oh! Oh! Let me go, please!" said the sing song voice. "I would love to play with them."

"If she goes then I will too," said the young male voice. "Knowing her, she would accidently barbecue them."

"Hey!"

"Fine," said the deep voice, quickly silencing their bickering. "Go then, but do not fail." A growl resonated from the voice's direction. "They cannot interfere."

* * *

Lights aura: Okay, so not as much of a cliffhanger this time. (looks around) I'm trying to behave.

Amu: (eye twitch) Those people in the end were creepy, especially the little kid one.

Lights aura: They will play a bigger part later on. (rubs hands together) And it shall be glorious! Glorious I say! Mu wah ha ha ha!

Amu: (slowly steps away) I don't know her.

Lights aura: (ignores Amu): You know what to do. Please read and review!


	8. Oh Christmas Tree, oh Christmas Tree

Oh Christmas Tree, oh Christmas Tree…

* * *

Lights aura: Hello everyone! I have a new chappie for you! I felt so weird writing this. It's St. Patrick 's Day and I'm writing about Christmas. (shrugs) Oh well, I hope you enjoy it. (looks around) Where did Amu go?

(From out of nowhere Amu appears)

Amu: Bonzai! (tackles Lights aura)

Lights aura: (is tackled)

Amu: ha, ha! I win! Now I get to take over!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did then I wouldn't have to deal with this insanity (glares at Amu) Get off!

* * *

Tori was abruptly awoken from her slumber when something or rather someone crashed into her bed. "What the hell?" She groaned as she opened her eyes…only to find a pair of blue ones staring back at her. 

"Come on!" Sira said as she bounced on Tori's bed. "Time to get up!"

Tori glanced at the alarm clock next to her bed. It read 8:30. She turned back to Sira and frowned. "Alright, who are you and what have you done with my morning hating friend?"

Sira rolled her head. "It's me, dumb butt. Now get up so we can go Christmas present shopping."

Tori laughed. "Christmas shopping? Aren't you forgetting that we are on a budget?"

Sira sighed. "Koenma said we were to use it when there was an emergency. Since we are Christmas fiends and chances are that we won't be back for Christmas, I think this constitutes as an emergency." She grinned. "Plus, if we get him a gift too, he can't stay mad at us."

Tori rolled her eyes. "Fine."

Sira squealed with delight. "Yeah! Now get ready." She quickly ran out of the room.

"You drank a Coke for breakfast again, didn't you?" Tori called.

Sira peeped from behind the door frame. "How did you know?"

Tori shrugged, "Oh, just a wild guess."

* * *

The girls returned to the mall for the third time. Tori convinced Sira not to ask how to get to different stores for fear that Sira's sense of direction would get them lost again. After an hour, they had half of their Christmas gifts. 

"Alright what do we have so far," Tori asked. "Yusuke?"

"A desk punching bag," Sira said cheerfully.

Tori checked Yusuke's name off the list she had in her hand. "Kuwabara?"

"A bobble-head kitty," Sira said as she held said object up.

Tori scratched off Kuwabara's name. "Botan?"

"The latest issue of Cosmo."

"Koenma?"

"Pacifier stickers!" Sira said. "Who knew these things actually existed."

"Which leaves two presents left," Tori said.

Sira nodded as she began to cough.

"You alright?" Tori asked worriedly.

"Yeah," Sira said as her coughing fit finally subsided. "My throat's a little ticklish. I'm probably going to get my seasonal cold." She glared at the ground. "Darn colds. Whoever invents the cure to the common cold will be my idol."

"And also very rich," Tori said as her eyes landed on a familiar logo. "Oh, Barnes and Noble! Let's go inside."

"Hey, we can't get distracted from Christmas shopping," Sira protested as they entered the store. 

"I'm not being distracted," Tori said as she went over to a book shelf. "I have an idea for Kurama."

"Speaking of Kurama," Sira said casually, "You two seem to be hanging out a lot."  
Tori continued to gaze at the spines of the books. "That's just your overactive imagination kicking in again."

"Uh, huh," Sira rocked back on her heels. "I think you're falling in love with him."

Tori snorted. "Yeah, right. He's a pretty boy, definitely not my type. He's just fun to talk to." 

"Yeah, I still think you're falling in love with him."

Tori grinned as she pulled a book off the shelf. "Aha!"

Sira frowned as she read the title. "Do you really think he'll like that?"

Tori nodded as she headed to the counter. "Yep, I do. Now, all that we have left is Hiei's present."

Sira groaned. "Do we have to get him a present?"

Tori frowned. "We can't just give everyone else presents and leave him out."

"But he's evil," Sira protested, "he tried to yank my arm out of its socket."

"What if," Tori said calmly, "he got you a present? Wouldn't you feel bad not having one for him?"

Sira snorted. "Let's be realistic. If Hiei were to give me a present, it would be my arm that he had personally severed off."

"Sira,"

"I'm not doing it." Sira said as she crossed her arms.

Tori's eye twitched. "Here," she said as she shoved the debit card into Sira's hands. "While I wait in line, you go get Hiei's present."

"But,"

"Go!"

Pouting, Sira stamped away.

Tori rolled her eyes. "I'm best friends with a three-year-old." 

Five minutes later, Sira returned. She was carrying a bag and wearing a demonic grin on her face.

"Oh god, what did you buy?" Tori asked.

"Hiei's present," Sira said cheerfully as she handed Tori the debit card back. "And I'll answer your next question. No, you cannot look. It's a surprise."

"You do realize that this present is from both of us."

Sira nodded.

"Therefore that present is connected to me" Tori added.

Sira nodded once again.

"Therefore if said present upsets Hiei then he will not only come after you but me as well."

"Don't worry," Sira said cheerfully. "Hiei is going to _love _this present." She began to laugh manically. Her laughter quickly turned into coughing.

"You need some water?" Tori asked as she patted Sira's back. 

"I'm fine," Sira gasped. "Just hacking up my bloody slimy lungs."

"That's a pleasant image," Tori said, "now I won't be able to eat for the next couple of hours."

"Serves you right for not trusting me."

"Well, I have every right not to trust you."

"You're next."

Tori sighed as she headed toward the counter.

* * *

With a loud sigh, Sira and Tori collasped on the sofa. Their shopping bags were spread out around them. Tori frowned as she glanced around the den. "I feel like there is something missing."

Sira's eyes widened as she sat up. "I know what we need! We need Brutus!"

It took Tori a couple of moments to realize what Sira was talking about. "Oh, you mean a Christmas Tree? Yeah, we definitely, need one of those."

At that moment, Kuwabara and Yusuke walked into the room.

"Perfect timing," Tori said as Sira and she grinned at them.

Yusuke raised an eyebrow while Kuwabara looked slightly afraid. 

"What do you want and why do I get the feeling that it's going to hurt?" Kuwabara asked.

* * *

Kuwabara, Yusuke, Sira, and Tori quickly stepped out of the car. 

Shizuru rolled down the window. "You've got fifteen minutes. If you're not back on time then I'll leave you."

"She's not really going to leave us, is she?" Tori muttered as they began to walk away.

"Uh, hopefully not," Kuwabara said. 

"That's not reassuring."

"Why am I here anyway?" Yusuke complained. "I'm not even staying at Kuwabara's house."

"You are a half demon therefore you are strong," Sira said as she rubbed her arms in an attempt to keep warm. "Which means you get to help carry Brutus."

Frowning, Yusuke glanced back at Tori and Kuwabara. "Brutus? Who the hell is Brutus?"

"Yeah," Kuwabara said, "I thought we were getting a Christmas tree."

"Brutus is the Christmas tree," Tori sighed. "To make a long story short, Sira saw a cartoon movie called Noel. In it, there is a Christmas tree named Brutus. Sira fell in love with the tree and was traumatized when they threw him away. Ever since then, Sira has named every Christmas Tree Brutus."

"In honor of him," Sira said solemnly. 

"But, it's a cartoon…" Yusuke said. "Who cares about a cartoon?"

"You're a cartoon in our world," Sira pointed out. "So why should I care about you?"

"She's got you there, Urameshi" Kuwabara laughed.

"Shut up!" Yusuke said.

Once again, they were in a fight.

Ignoring them, Sira motioned for Tori to come over. "Look," she said as she pointed to the tree in front of them. 

Tori's eyes widened. It was the most beautiful Frasier Fir they had ever seen. Its needles were a deep green color and spread out from the tree like a dress.

"Wow," Tori said as she blinked a couple of times.

Sira grinned as she wrapped an arm around Tori's shoulders. "My friend, I do believe we found Brutus."

"Uh, is that Brutus?" Kuwabara asked as Yusuke and he came up behind them.

Both girls nodded.

"You do realize that that is a big tree," Yusuke said.

Both girls nodded again.

"It might not fit in the house," Kuwabara said.

Tori raised an eyebrow while Sira glared.

Kuwabara and Yusuke traded glances.

"Oh crap," Yusuke said.

* * *

Kuwabara let out a grunt as Yusuke and he finished setting up the tree. Wiping his brow, Yusuke said, "Why the hell did I agree to do this?" 

"Sira promised to make us cinnamon buns."

At that moment, both girls entered the room carrying presents. 

"Oh," Sira said excitedly, "Brutus looks amazing!"

Yusuke's face lit up as he spied the presents. "Hey, are any of those presents for us?"

"Yes," Tori said as she swatted Kuwabara's hand away from a present, "but you can't open them until the party tomorrow."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow. "You're having a party tomorrow?"

Kuwabara shrugged. "I guess I am now." He turned to Sira. "Can we have the cinnamon buns now?"

Sira grinned. "Yeah, they should be ready right about…." She trailed off as she went into a fit of coughs. This was followed by a couple of sneezes and a loud moan.

"You okay?" Yusuke asked cautiously.

Sira groaned. "Yes, unfortunately." She threw her hands in the air. "Gah! I hate colds! Someone put me out of my misery, please. Death has got to be more comfortable then having a head cold."

"Go get the cinnamon buns before they burn, you spaz" Tori said as she shoved Sira to the kitchen. 

"I wasn't finished with my tirade," Sira whined.

Tori raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Sira nodded. "Yes, but now it's over since I completely forgot what I was going to say."

Tori, Yusuke, and Kuwabara face vaulted.

Sira left them to their confusion as she went into the kitchen. Humming to herself, she reached for the oven door and froze. Her eyes focused on her outstretched hand. Her hand had taken on a blue hue and it looked as if it was being pixilated. She let out a gasp and blinked. In an instant, her hand returned to normal.

"Come on, Sira" Yusuke whined. "Where are the cinnamon buns?"

Sira shook her head as she pulled the cinnamon buns out of the oven. What was she thinking? That she was being digitized? "This head cold must be really getting to me" She muttered as she took the tray of cinnamon buns out to the living room. 

* * *

Amu: End of the chappie! I hope you enjoyed it!

Lights aura: (glares) Will you get off of me already?

Amu: (shakes head) No, you weren't being random enough. Therefore, when you are failing in your job, I get to take over.

Lights aura: This is just pathetic. I've been overthrown by my own made up character.

Amu: (ignores Lights aura) You know what to do. Please remember to READ and REVIEW! 


	9. Deck the Halls with Sickness and Despair

Deck the Halls with Sickness and Despair

* * *

Lights aura: Hello! Sorry for the long wait. I had spring break and went to my beach house where there was no internet connection.

Amu: It was so scary. All we had to entertain ourselves with were the foxes and alligators. They weren't very friendly.

Lights aura: Anywho, I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did then I could afford internet at my beach house…

* * *

The smell of delicious foods wafted through the entire house. Shizuru had to leave because of her work, but she had been kind enough to cook them a couple of things. The sounds of Christmas tunes played lightly in the background.

Kuwabara lay on the couch, staring wistfully at the kitchen. It was almost time for the party and while he sat drooling over the thought of food, Sira and Tori were putting the finishing touches on the decorations.

"Oh Christmas Tree, oh Christmas tree," Sira sang as she hung the mistletoe, "And something about your branches. Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, and I think I sing again about your branches."

Kuwabara and Tori turned towards Sira, their eyebrows raised.

Sira was completely oblivious. "I forgot the rest of this song. So I'll just pretend I know it. Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, I'm getting sick of singing about your branches."

She turned towards Tori and Kuwabara. Seeing their expressions, Sira cocked her head. "What?"

Tori turned towards Kuwabara. "This is why Sira is never allowed to drink. She gets this crazy with caffeine, imagine what she would be like if she were drunk?"

Kuwabara actually looked scared of the thought. "I never want to find out."

Sira rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, give me a break. I forgot the lyrics to the song." She coughed a couple of times before clearing her throat. "Grr, when will this cold go away?"

"Well," Tori said, "if you drank orange juice instead of coke I bet it wouldn't be so bad."

Sira wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Orange juice is gross. It has that pulp stuff that gets stuck in your teeth."

Ignoring her, Tori turned towards Kuwabara. "Do you know who is coming?"

Kuwabara frowned as he thought. "I know Urameshi, Kurama, and Botan were coming. Botan said something about bringing someone."

"Oh, a mysterious guest," Sira said as she rubbed her hands together, "how exciting."

Tori quirked her lips. "So I guess Hiei won't come?"

Sira snorted. "Let's see, laughter, Christmas cheer, whimsical decorations, good will towards men…" She laughed, "If he came he would probably die from all the goodness."

A knock came from the front door. Pulling himself off the sofa, Kuwabara went to answer the door. As the sound of voices was heard, none were as loud as Kuwabara's. "YUKINA!"

Sira and Tori looked at each other before rushing to the door.

Sure enough, standing with Yusuke, Kurama, and Botan was the blue haired ice apparition herself.

She was smiling politely at Kuwabara as Kurama helped take her jacket off.

Glancing at Sira, Tori said softly, "Don't even think about it."

Sira frowned. "Think about what?" Her eyes lit up, "Oh telling Yukina that Hiei is her brother?" She grinned, "Oh, can I? Can I?"

Tori frowned. "Sira, that's not funny. Hiei really would rip you to shreds."

"Oh poo," Sira said before returning her attention to Yukina.

Finally snapping out of his daze, Kuwabara turned to the girls. "Yukina, meet Sira and Tori."

"Hi ya!" Sira said as Tori and she smiled.

"It's nice to meet you," Yukina said politely. She was surprised when both girls nearly tackled her with a hug.

"You are so cute," Sira said as she latched onto one of Yukina's arms.

"Positively adorable," Tori added as she latched onto the other arm.

Before she could protest, the girls led Yukina towards the den.

"You guys," Yusuke said, "I think Yukina's been kidnapped by those two crazy girls."

Kurama's lips quirked. "Hmm, it's a good thing Hiei's not here or else we might have a problem on our hands."

"Yuuuukina!" Kuwabara yelled as he ran after them. "Wait for me!"

* * *

After dinner, everyone went to the den. With excited expressions, Sira and Tori began to hand out presents.

Yusuke raised an eyebrow at the lump of a package that was supposed to be a present. "Er, nice wrapping job."

Sira rolled her eyes. "Yeah I know, I suck at wrapping presents. I've never been good at cutting a straight line."

Yusuke and Kuwabara quickly tore into their presents as Kurama and Botan took a more careful approach.

Kuwabara's eyes sparkled as he held the bobble head cat in his head. "It's a cat!"

A smirk appeared on Yusuke's face as he held up the box. "A mini punching bag."

"We figured you had a big one already," Sira explained, "The other one you can use when you're supposed to be studying."

"Oh!" Botan held up the magazine. "I've always wanted to read one of these. I've just been so busy that I never got around to buying one of them."

Tori walked over to Kurama and peered over his shoulder.

"Dostoevsky's _Notes from the Underground_," Kurama said.

"It's another great work," Tori quickly explained, "I thought you might like it if you haven't read it already."

Kurama smiled, "I love it."

A snicker caused them to glance towards Sira.

Sira was standing in front of them, an evil smirk on her face. "Guess where you're standing?"

Tori and Kurama looked up and froze. Mistletoe was hanging right over their head. Its presence seemed to mock them.

"Sira," Tori began as her face turned red.

Sira shrugged. "It's your own fault for not paying attention to your surroundings. It's a Christmas tradition. Plus," Sira wiggled her eyebrows, "it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Tori glared and clinched her fists. "Sira, you are going to die!"

With a shriek, Sira ran into the hall with Tori right on her heels.

While the two continued to act like sugar crazed five-year-olds, Botan turned towards Yukina. "So, what do you think about Sira and Tori?"

Yukina smiled politely, "They seem very…energetic."

As the girls returned to the room, the window opened and Hiei quickly slipped inside. Sira stopped dead in her tracks as her grin spread even wider. "Hi Hiei!" She said excitedly.

While Hiei glared, everyone else traded uneasy glances.

"Why is Sira so happy to see him?" Yusuke asked Tori worriedly.

"Oh crap," Tori dove for the present but Sira reached it first.

"I've got a present for you!" Sira said as she skipped over to him and shoved it in his face.

"I don't have time for your stupid human stuff," Hiei said as he shoved the present away, "I need to speak to the fox."

Sira was not about to give up. She shoved the present back into his face. "Open present now. Then you can talk to Kurama."

They glared at each other for a moment before Hiei took the present. He raised an eyebrow as he pulled out a strange peach colored bowling pin shaped person.

"It's a Popping Martian Stress Reliever," Sira said happily, "When you squeeze it, the eyes and ears pop out. It's for your anger management problem."

Sira barely evaded the sword as Hiei slashed it towards her. She knew he did it more out of frustration than actually trying to kill her. If he had wanted to kill her, she would have already been dead. "Temper, Temper," She said as she walked towards the kitchen. "Don't use violence as an outlet. Squeeze the martian." Before anyone could react, she went into the kitchen.

Tori groaned as her hand came to her forehead. "Hiei, please forgive Sira. Apparently, she hasn't learned how to be mature yet."

A loud crash resounded from the kitchen.

"Sira?" Tori called. "Are you okay?"

There was no response.

"I'll go check on her," Tori said as she went into the kitchen. A moment later, Tori screamed. "You guys, come quick!"

They quickly rushed into the kitchen.

Sira lay sprawled out on the floor, unconscious. Strange blue pixels were attached to her hands, shoulders, and ankles.

"What's wrong with her?" Tori asked frantically.

"It is as I feared," Koenma said causing everyone to jump.

"When did you get here?" Yusuke said.

"I sent Hiei ahead but it seems we are too late." Koenma said, completing ignoring Yusuke. "Sira's contracted dimension sickness."

"Dimension sickness," Tori frowned, "What's that?"

Koenma sighed, "There is a reason why portals don't frequently open between dimensions. If a person stays too long in a different dimension then they contract this disease."

"How come Tori's not affected?" Kuwabara asked.

"Tori was bitten by the Makai bat. A creature from this dimension," Kurama said, "I assume its venom made Tori immune to the effects of dimension sickness."

Koenma nodded. "You are absolutely correct."

"Then what are we waiting for," Yusuke said, "Let's go get a Makai bat."

"Unfortunately, you destroyed most of the Makai bats when you went to rescue Tori" Koenma said as Yusuke rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Who knows, there may not be any left."

"So what's going to happen to Sira?" Tori asked quietly.

Koenma's expression saddened. "You know how the human body has antibodies to destroy foreign particles. The same rule applies here."

Tori's eyes widened. "So what you're saying is…" She trailed off.

Koenma nodded slowly. "Our dimension is erasing her."

* * *

Amu: Dimension sickness? What will you think of next?

Lights aura: The cure to procrastination and the total destruction of nargals!

Amu: What?

Lights aura: (shrugs) Just being random

Amu:…

Lights aura: What?

Amu: Words could not describe what I am thinking now…

Lights aura: Anywho, you know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	10. Florentine and Socrates

Florentine and Socrates

* * *

Lights aura: Hello everyone! I have returned with a new chappie! Yeah!

Amu: Hozah, the new chappie has come and we'll finally get to meet a couple of the villains!

Lights aura: Sh! Don't give it away.

Amu: (grins sheepishly) Oops, well enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did then I would have a lot more free time on my hands to write.

* * *

Tori sighed as she watched Botan and Yukina tuck Sira in bed. It was strange to see her best friend so still. If it weren't for the fact that her chest was moving up and down, she could have been mistaken for as dead. She shivered at the thought.

As soon as she was settled, Sira cracked open her eyes. Looking around at the worried faces, Sira asked. "So, what did I miss?" Her voice had a strange metallic sound to it.

They all traded glances before Botan said, "Sira you have dimension sickness. If we can't find some way to cure you then you will be erased. In other words, you'll…" she trailed off.

Sira glanced down at her sheets. "Oh," She quickly looked back up and forced a grin on her face. "Well then, you better find a cure because if I die then I swear that I will find a way to come back and haunt you for the rest of your lives."

Tori groaned as she playfully nudged her head. "Why am I not surprise that even when you are sick, you're immature."

Sira shrugged. "It's a gift." She began to cough violently. Yukina quickly shooed everyone away saying that Sira needed rest.

Once outside, the somber mood returned. "What are we going to do?" Tori asked softly.

Just then, a child like voice sang from outside, "Deck the halls with sickness and despair. Fa la la la la la la la la. You're friend is dying but I don't care. Fa la la la la la la la la."

They frowned as they raced outside.

"Whatever are you going to do? Fa la la la la la la la la. I'm glad that I'm not you. Fa la la la la la la la la ."

Hovering in the air were two figures. The first looked like a young girl. She had shoulder length green hair and bright emerald color eyes. Butterfly wings sprouted from her back and she wore a hat the resembled a flower. Floating next to her was a man who looked to be in his twenty's. He had short brown hair and hazel eyes. Glasses were perched on his nose as he read the book in his hand. He looked mostly human except for the two small horns on top of his head.

"Hello losers!" The young girl said in a sing songy voice. "You seem a little down. Whatever could be the problem?"

"Who are you?" Yusuke demanded.

The girl frowned. "You need to learn some manners." At that moment, a bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of Yusuke startling him. The girl continued as if nothing had happened. "Well, since you want to know so badly. My name is Florentine. The guy next to me calls himself Socrates. He is named after someone famous, whoever the heck that it is."

"Socrates is a philosopher, you idiot" Socrates murmured, not once taking his eyes of his book.

Florentine clinched her fists and glared at him. "Why are you so mean to me!"

Realizing that he was going to ignore her, she returned her attention to her original victims. "We heard your friend was sick and we brought her a present." She held up a small vial filled with greenish fluid. "This is Makai bat venom. If you were to inject a little bit of this into her, she would survive." She grinned at the anxious looks they gave her.

Kuwabara finally lost his patience. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"She waiting because there's more to this," Kurama said slowly. "Isn't that right."

Florentine grinned. "Absolutely." Still wearing her grin, she threw the vial as hard as she could.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Yusuke yelled angrily.

"I can't let you have it that easily." Florentine giggled. "The vial is somewhere in the city. I hope you can find it in time." Both Socrates and Florentine vanished.

"Get back here!" Kuwabara yelled angrily as he punched the sky.

"Why that little," Yusuke began.

"Now's not the time," Tori said, a look of determination plastered across her face. "We need to split up and find that vial."

"Tori's right," Koenma said, "Yusuke and Kuwabara will take the south part of the city, Hiei will coam the western part and Kurama will search the northern part."

"I'm coming with you," Tori said as she stood next to Kurama. Neither Koenma nor Kurama objected.

"Botan can you stay with Yukina and look after Sira?" Koenma asked.

Botan nodded. "You can count on me."

Koenma nodded. "Then I'll go back and see what I can pull up on Florentine and Socrates."

Without another word, they all split up.

* * *

After an hour of searching, Tori was beginning to lose hope for her friend. So far, no one had found any trace of the vial. She felt like she really was searching for the proverbial needle in the haystack. The only difference was that this needle had a life depending on it. She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"She'll be alright," Kurama said gently.

Tori sighed as she tried to ignore the tears that threatened to form. "You know, Sira's always like that."

Kurama frowned. "Like what?"

"Making major problems look like nothing." Tori smiled slightly. "If she stubs her toe or scrapes her knee, she acts like it is the end of a world but when something really serious happens she just shrugs it off." Tori paused as she glanced at the ground. "Sometimes, I'm envious of her. She can always find a way to joke in a serious or depressing situation." She sighed, "I wish I was like that."

Kurama smiled. "You already are able to do that. You just do that in your own way."

Tori gave a tearful smile. "Thanks."

Kurama shrugged, "No problem." They began to search again. "So," Kurama said, "how long have you two been best friends?"

Tori smirked. "You know how most people are best friends since birth? Sira and I weren't like that. We actually went to the same school since kindergarten but didn't become best friends until high school." Tori laughed slightly, "Actually, we have orchestra to thank for that."

Kurama raised an eyebrow, "You two played instruments?"

"I know, Sira with an instrument is a very scary thought," Tori said, "But yeah, we did. We were both violists and shared a stand. We would end up getting bored and would talk. That's how we bonded, really. When we got a new teacher, I quit and went to ensemble. Sira held on for another year because the new teacher had promised they would perform on a Disney Cruise. Once she realized that it wasn't going to happen, she quit as well and joined ensemble with me. We've been best friends ever since." Tori frowned as she glanced at her surroundings. "Hey, haven't we been this way before?"

Kurama didn't respond.

"Kurama?" Tori asked as she turned around. She froze. She felt as if she was watching a movie in slow motion. Everybody seemed to be moving at a snail's pace including Kurama. "Oh no," Tori said as she reached out and grabbed his shoulders. "Kurama, you've got to snap out of it!" As soon as she touched him, he returned to normal speed. "What…" He trailed off as he noticed that everything had stopped moving.

"This happened to Sira and me at the mall when I was kidnapped," Tori said, "I think Akatsuki called it a time inconsistency."

"How strange," Kurama murmured, "I wonder what's causing them?" A loud rumbling sound came from in front of them. Glancing in that direction, they found themselves staring at the entrance of a maze.

"I don't know what's causing them, but I think we're about to find out," Tori whispered.

Taking a deep breath, they entered the maze.

* * *

Lights aura: Dun, dun, dun

Amu: (glares) not funny

Lights aura: Anywho, I hoped you enjoyed it. You know what to do, READ and REVIEW!


	11. Butterflies are a Bitch

Butterflies are a Bitch

* * *

Lights aura: Hello! Sorry for the wait! I will be updating sporadically since exams are coming up.

Amu: Yes, life slowly dies when exam time comes around.

Lights aura: Anywho, I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I only own my lovely ocs. Fear them!!

* * *

Tori stifled a yawn as she followed Kurama. For the past hour, they had been in the maze. So far, they had yet to come close to the end. Stopping at a cross roads, Kurama frowned. "We've been this way before."

Tori raised an eyebrow. "How do you know?"

Kurama pointed to a small glowing green plant. "I used those as markers."

Tori sighed. "Great, so we're never going to find the end."

Kurama shook his head. "Not necessarily, we still haven't gone that way." He indicated the path to their left.

Tori let out a gasp as she felt something grab her ankle and pull her to the ground. Glancing back, she saw a clay looking arm pulling her to a hole. Within a second, the Rose Whip materialized and sliced the arm off. Tori quickly stood up, eyeing the bloody mess that used to be an arm warily.

"Earth demon," Kurama said bluntly as the rose whip returned to normal, "They like to pull their prey into their holes…" He trailed off when he noticed how pale Tori was. Instantly, he was by her side, holding her hair out of the way. "Just bend over until it passes."

Tori dry retched for several minutes before she finally calmed down. When she stood up, Kurama kept his hands on her shoulders to keep her steady. "You okay?" he asked worriedly.

Tori nodded. "Sorry about that." She avoided looking at the bloody mess.

Kurama shook his head. "No, it was my fault. I had forgotten that you have not experience much fighting. With Youko in my body, I've never experienced such shock from events such as these." He sighed, "Sometimes I wish…" He trailed off as he quickly shook his head. "Never mind, let's just find our way out of here."

Tori nodded. She didn't try to pressure him into explaining himself. She knew from the many episodes she watched, that although Kurama was polite and kind he didn't open up to people. She was surprised at how much he had already said. "So," Tori said slowly, "Do you think this path will lead us to the end?"

Kurama shrugged. "Possibly." As they rounded the corner, they found themselves in a small area. In the middle of it was a rock. And sitting on that rock was the vial.

Tori grinned. "I guess we found the end."

"Oh no," said a sing songy voice. "This is only the beginning."

* * *

Yukina frowned as she dabbed Sira's forehead again. For the last hour, Sira had progressively been getting worse. Her breathing was more labored and she tossed and turned in a delirious state. She sighed as she grabbed her washcloth and quickly went to dampen it. Once she left the room, a figure materialized.

Socrates grinned as he looked Sira over. "So perfect. So…untouched." He let his hand trail over her face. Sira's face scrunched in displeasure. His grin widened as he retracted his hand. "You shall be mine."

"Hey! Leave her alone!"

Socrates whirled around to see Botan and Yukina standing in the doorway.

Socrates smirked. "I was just checking to see how our little friend was doing."

Anger flashed in Yukina's eyes as the room took on a slight chill.

Socrates laughed. "I get the message, apparitionist. I will go." He disappeared.

Yukina and Botan hurried over to Sira's bed to make sure she was alright. Yukina quickly placed the damp cloth on Sira's head. Sira let out a moan from the contact.

"I hope they hurry," Yukina said as she continued to dab Sira's forehead.

Botan nodded. "For Sira's sake, I hope they hurry too."

* * *

Kurama protectively put his arm in front of Tori as they glared at Florentine. She was hovering in mid-air above the vial.

"Well, well, well, I'm surprised you actually got here. What with all the time consistencies that are happening."

"Give us that vial!" Tori said. She wasn't in the mood to play one of Florentine's games.

Florentine frowned. "Nope, you cheated. You're not obeying the rules of the time inconsistencies."

"Neither are you!" Tori said angrily. Kurama placed a hand on her shoulder signaling her to calm down.

Florentine clenched her fists as tears welled up in her eyes. "Shut up! You cheated! Therefore in order to get the vial you need to beat him." She snapped her fingers and a rock monster appeared before them. She giggled as she sat cross-legged in the air. "Good luck!"

Kurama quickly shoved Tori out of the way of the rock monster's punch. Taking the punch, he rolled a couple of times before whipping out the rose whip. A fight ensued. Kurama almost looked like he was dancing as the rose whip lashed out at the rock creature. Rocks were being sent everywhere but unfortunately, they were being replaced by others. Tori glanced up and noticed that Florentine was completely engrossed in the battle. Taking the opportunity, Tori quickly snuck towards the rock. As she grasped the vial, she felt someone land behind her. Whirling around, she was face to face with Florentine. With a grin, she grabbed Tori by the throat and held her up in the air.

"Nah, uh, uh, you're cheating," Florentine said as she watched Tori struggle in her grasp. "And when you cheat, you are punished." She effortlessly tossed her aside. Tori slammed into a nearby wall and collapsed to the ground as she lost consciousness.

Seeing Tori's crippled form, something inside Kurama snapped. White smoke surrounded him as he started to glow. Moments later, the glow died down revealing the infamous Youko Kurama.

"Wow," Florentine said as she eyed him, "You are so handsome."

Ignoring her, Youko glanced at his hands amused. "Hm, I shouldn't have been able to do that." Glancing up at the rock creature, Youko's smirk widened. "My other half had trouble with you?" Reaching into his hair, he pulled out a small seed. He blew on it gently before dropping it. As soon as it landed on the ground, it began to grow. A giant Venus fly trap stood before him, acid dripping from its jaws. Youko flicked his wrist and the plant pounced on the rock creature. Its acid spewed everywhere as it swallowed the rock monster whole.

Hovering in mid-air, Florentine stomped her foot angrily. "No fair! I was supposed to win…" She trailed off as she noticed the plant only inches away from her. It mouth was slightly opened as it eyed her hungrily. "You haven't seen the last of me!" She said before quickly vanishing.

As soon as she was gone, the plant returned to its seed form. Youko picked it up and placed it back in his hair before turning his attention to the girl.

Bending down next to her, he took in her appearance. She wasn't gorgeous but there was something about her that made her seem to stand out. He lightly traced the outline of her face.

Tori frowned as she began to cough. Her hand immediately went to her bruised throat as she opened her eyes. "Holy freaking cow!" She gasped as she tried to back away from Youko. This proved ineffective since her back was already against the wall.

Youko chuckled. "Well, I haven't had that type of reaction before." He eyed her legs. Tori frowned as she closed them and brought them to her chest. "You're a little firecracker, aren't you?"

"No," Tori said evenly, "I just know that you go through women like a five-year-old goes through toys. In other words, you're only interested until another one comes along."

Youko smirked. "So what you are saying is that if I truly liked you then you would be one of my toys?" He stroked a piece of her hair. "I could have a lot of fun with you."

Tori flushed. "That was not what I saying."

Youko smirked. "Don't worry. My other half won't let me do anything to you." He winked as smoke started to surround him. "See you around." In an instant, Kurama returned. He looked Tori over with concern.

"Don't worry," Tori said, "He just hit on me nothing more."

Kurama looked extremely relieved. "Good," he frowned as he noticed the bruises on her throat. "You need to have that checked out."

Tori shrugged as she rubbed her neck unconsciously. "It's fine, just a little sore."

As Kurama helped her up, the maze disappeared and they found themselves back in the city. Everyone was moving at normal pace again.

"It seems the time inconsistency has passed" Kurama said. "Are you ready to go?

Tori nodded. She grinned as she held up the vial. "I bet Sira can't wait to see us."

* * *

Lights aura: See, Sira will be saved! Be happy!

Amu: Yeah, I think you would have had a lot of angry readers if you did.

Lights aura: Hence why I prefer Hollywood to art cinema.

Amu: Random

Lights aura: It sucks how movies are made with crappy endings in order to have some sort of deep meaning that supposedly Hollywood can't create.

Amu: Stop speaking about cinema. No one has any idea what you're talking about.

Lights aura: (clinches fists) What happened to the good old happily ever, after, we saved the world, freed the whales, and got the cat out of the tree moments. Are they just not good enough anymore?

Amu: Excuse the authoress, she is still ticked off about the Academy Awards. While she continues ranting, I will tell you that once again she will be updating sporadically, although lots of reviews may motivate her to update faster if she has the time. So, you know what to do! READ and REVIEW! (shakes head as Lights aura continues to rant)


	12. A Miraculous Bonding Happens Over Soap

A Miraculous Bonding Happens Over Soap Operas

* * *

Lights aura: Hello!

Amu: And welcome to the next chappie!

Lights aura: Heh, so I been watching a lot of MST3K…

Amu: Which is an acronym for Mystery Science Theater 3000...

Lights aura: Thank you Amu. So anyways, I been watching it a lot and have officially become obsessed with it.

Amu: It is so freaking hilarious! It's almost better than pie.

Lights aura: So, yeah, you'll probably see how this chappie is influenced by it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did then I would be free to watch as much MST3K as I wanted.

* * *

Tori sighed as she lazily sketched in her notebook. It had been a week since Sira's near death experience. Although she said she was better, the whole ordeal had left her rather weak. Plus, it hadn't help that the only cure was Makai bat venom.

The sliding of feet against floor alerted Tori that said person had entered the room. "How are you feeling?"

"Blah," Sira said as she collapsed next to her. "Just blah."

Tori smirked. "That was descriptive."

Sira's eyes lit up as she snatched the notebook from Tori. "Nice," she said as she examined the picture Tori had drawn. Flipping a page, she added. "You want to see something cool?" Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed a pen and scribbled something on the notebook. With a cheesy grin, she handed the notebook back to Tori.

Tori raised an eyebrow at the stick hangman. Over to the side, Sira had scrawled something. "This is Bob. He tried to steal my cookie. Ha! Ha! Bob! Ha! Ha!"

"Isn't it great," Sira asked excitedly.

"You're missing facebook aren't you?" Tori asked.

Sira let out a moan. "Yes, bumper stickers were used when I wished to procrastinate. Now, I have nothing." Sira let out a sigh, "I feel so…empty."

"You could always write, you know." Tori reminded her.

Sira shook her head. "It's not that easy. You need inspiration to write." She sighed, "So are Yukina and you still planning on doing some shopping?"

Tori nodded. "That is, if you don't mind being alone for a little bit."

Sira shrugged. "Eh, I'll be fine. I've got ice cream and TV. What more can a girl ask for?"

"Alright," Tori said as she sat aside her notebook and stood up. "Do you want me to get anything for you while I'm out?"

"Chris Evans."

"I meant something realistic."

Sira scrunched her eyebrows as she thought. "You know what? How about you surprise me."

* * *

Tori couldn't help but grin at the ice apparitionist. Yukina hadn't had much experience in the human realm so the sight of the giant department stores made her eyes grow huge.

"This place is so amazing," Yukina murmured as Tori began to browse through the stores.

"Yeah," Tori said with a grin, "If you think this is amazing, you should see it on sales day." Her eyes widened as she spotted something. With a squeal, she pounced on said object and held it up for Yukina to see. "I can't believe this is out!"

Yukina frowned. _"27 Dresses?"_

"Best Movie Ever!" Tori said excitedly, "We're definitely getting this." Humming happily to herself, she walked over to the counter.

* * *

Sira let out a sigh. What had she been thinking? That saying she wouldn't get bored actually meant that she wouldn't get bored. Who was she kidding? TV and ice cream can only last one for so long before boredom settles in once again. Letting out a groan, Sira pulled herself up and forced herself to the kitchen.

"I'm sooo bored," she whined. She found herself gazing at the refrigerator once again debating over whether eating more food would quell her boredom. The sound of a window opening brought her out of her thoughts.

Hiei's gaze met hers as he entered the room.

Sira blinked a couple of times before saying, "Yukina is out with Tori right now."

"Hn," Hiei crossed his arms.

Sira shrugged, "You can stay and wait for her if you want."

"And why would I want to do that, human?" Hiei said with a glare.

"Because I am bored out of my mind and willing to bribe you with ice cream," Sira said as she pulled out two pint size ice creams.

His glare lessened slightly as curiosity flashed through his eyes. "You have sweet snow?"

Sira winced but held her tongue. One of the things that had bothered her with the Yu Yu Hakusho series had been Hiei's reference to ice cream as sweet snow. Ice cream was made of dairy products mixed with flavorings while snow cream, something that could be considered sweet snow, was made out of actual snow. Being a writer and a word person, she would always make a point to groan when it came up. She would then be promptly smacked in the back of the head by Tori.

"Enjoy," Sira said as she handed him a pint and a spoon before taking her pint over to the sofa. Grabbing the remote, she said, "Now to see what's on."

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, both Hiei and Sira found themselves completely disgusted yet mesmerized by a soap opera.

"I can't go on Roger," said a busty blonde woman. "If I can't have you then there is no point in living anymore."

"Just die already!" Sira said angrily.

Hiei's eye twitched. "Her high pitched voice is getting on my nerves. I want to rip her vocal chords out of her pathetic throat."

"Honey, please" Roger said, "Just because your twin sister, my sweet heart from high school who supposedly died in a car accident but miraculously survived is having my baby doesn't mean that we can't be together."

"No," Sira said to the TV. "It just means that you have to pay for child support. Now die!"

"I want to kill him too," Hiei muttered, "His presence annoys me."

"No, Roger," the woman said, "It can never be the same."

A loud gunshot was heard as the blond fell to the ground.

Roger stared wide-eyed. "It's John! My evil twin brother who was separated from me at birth and was sent to a military school in Sweden where he vowed to take revenge on me and my family for abandoning him!"

"Yes," John said with an evil grin, "And now you will die so my revenge will be complete." John fired the gun as Roger crumpled to the ground.

"Yay!" Sira cheered, "They're dead! I like John!"

"I find his presence tolerable," Hiei admitted.

The sound of the front door opening alerted them that someone had returned.

Tori and Yukina entered the room grinning.

"How are you doing?" Yukina asked.

"Fine," Sira said with a grin, "I was watching TV with Hiei." She frowned as she noticed that he had vanished. "Well, that was rude. He didn't even say goodbye."

Tori raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You didn't fight or Hiei didn't try to kill you?"

"We found a common enemy," Sira said as she glared evilly at the TV. "Soap Operas."

"Well, this ought to cheer you up!" Tori said as she handed her a rectangular object.

"_27 Dresses_!" Sira squealed in delight.

"I figured we could watch it since Yukina hasn't seen it yet." Tori said as she placed her hands on Yukina's shoulders.

"You haven't?" Sira asked in disbelief.

Yukina shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not."

"Well then, let's start watching!" Sira said as she plopped in front of the DVD player.

"By the way," Tori said, "we've run out of money so we need to start looking for jobs."

Sira glared at Tori. "Kill joy."

"I'm trying to be realistic," Tori said.

"You're still a kill joy." Sira said before inserting the DVD into the player.

* * *

After dinner and the movie, everyone decided to go to bed. Sira was about to drift off into the realm of sleep when an obnoxious tapping started up on her window.

"What the hell is that noise?" She whispered angrily as she sat up in bed. The tapping must have woken Tori up as well because seconds later, she heard her mumble.

"Where is that incessant tapping coming from?"

"I think it's coming from the window," Sira said as Tori and she got up.

Opening the window, they both gasped.

A familiar furry dog-like creature floated before them.

"Molester…" Sira said as her eye twitched.

The molester blinked. "Hello! Nice to see you again!"

* * *

Lights aura: So, yeah, the whole eating when bored. That is totally me. Is it bad that I do that?

Amu: Well, you did eat three bags of white cheddar popcorn out of boredom yesterday…

Lights aura: Amu be quiet or I'll tell them how you ate five pies in one sitting.

Amu: (wails) You promised not to tell anyone! (sulks in corner)

Lights aura: Er, anyway, you know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	13. Oy With the Poodles Already!

Oy With the Poodles Already!

* * *

Lights aura: Hey everyone! Exams are finally over!

Amu: Wahoo!

Lights aura: So, the title is a reference to the famous show Gilmore Girls.

Amu: An amazing series, I might add.

Lights aura: So, please enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I only own my characters…

* * *

Tori and Sira could not believe what they were seeing. The creature that had caused this entire mess was hovering right outside their window with an idiotic child-like grin on its face.

"What are _you _doing here?" Sira said angrily.

The molester remained unfazed. "I was just checking on you. How are you enjoying the game?"

Tori laughed. "Game? This game almost killed me three times!"

"Yeah," Sira added as her eye twitch. "And I was nearly erased from existence."

The molester winced slightly. "Wow, you two aren't very good at playing the game, are you?"

Both Sira's and Tori's mouths dropped.

"You aren't serious," Tori said. "You still think this is a game?"

"How do you expect us to defeat demons?" Sira said angrily. "For Pete's sake we're just freaking humans!"

The molester shook its head. "You still don't understand how to play." It slowly began to float away.

"Wait a minute! Where are you going?" Sira demanded.

"I've got things to do," It said simply. "Good Luck!"

Before they could say anything else, he vanished.

* * *

A week later, Yukina had left for the spirit world, Kuwabara was back in school, Yusuke, Kurama and Hiei were attending to affairs in the spirit world and Sira and Tori were busy searching for jobs. The girls were sprawled out on the den floor with newspaper clippings scattered around them. "Grr," Sira said, "This sucks! Almost every job requires a college degree!"

"I swear when I get back to our dimension I will get my college degree because without one, it sucks." She frowned at a newspaper clipping in her hand. "God, I think McDonald's requires one as well"

"Ick! There is no way I'm working at McDonald's. One of my friends swallowed a sponge with her hamburger there," Sira said, shivering slightly.

Tori raised an eyebrow. "You know a lot of weird stories."

Sira nodded solemnly. "I'm a writer. It's my job to find weird stories."

At that moment, Yusuke entered the room looking slightly tired but amused. "So, how was your day?" He asked as he shrugged off his coat and threw it on the table.

"Oy with the poodles already!" Sira said as she threw a newspaper clipping across the room.

Tori nodded. "Definitely, oy with the poodles already."

"Are you on crack?" Yusuke asked with an eyebrow raised.

Tori rolled her eyes. "It's a saying from Gilmore Girls. It beats whatcha talkin bout Willis any day."

Yusuke smirked.

"Laugh now but when we feel like torturing you that will be one of the first things you will watch." Sira said.

"After being dressed up in little pink dresses," Tori added.

"Uh-huh," Yusuke said.

"Of course in our minds we have phenomically cosmic powers that allow us to control you," Sira said.

"And amazing knockout gas" Tori added.

"They have been looking for jobs all day which is contributing to their weird behavior." Shizuru said as she picked up Yusuke's coat and whacked him in the head. "And that's for leaving a coat on my counter."

"Ow," Yusuke whined as he rubbed the back of his head. "Did you have to hit me so hard?"

"Baby," Shizuru inhaled on her cigarette. "Speaking of babies, where is my brother?"

The front door slammed shut as a very upset Kuwabara trudged into the room. "There is no way I'm doing this," he said as he slammed a card on the table.

Yusuke picked it up, read it and laughed. "Aw, your school is having a dance and you have to go."

"Shut up, Urameshi!" Kuwabara said. "I ain't going. The whole thing is stupid."

Sira and Tori looked at each other knowingly. Ever since Yukina left, Kuwabara was all doom and gloom. To them, a dance sounded like a perfect way to cheer him up.

"I think it sounds like a great idea!" Tori said with a grin.

Kuwabara and Yusuke looked at her in surprise. "You do?"

"Of course," Sira said, "we can all go. It can be a bonding experience. Yusuke can bring Kayko since neither Tori or I have met her and I'm sure Kurama would want to come so Tori has a date." She completely ignored the death glares her best friend sent her.

"Yeah but who am I supposed to go with?" Kuwabara said grumpily, "Yukina's left."

"Though it slightly hurts that I have to point this out," Sira said as she motioned to herself, "you can go with the oh so glorious me. I walk in the room and the people stop and stare in awe."

"Somebody's ego's inflated," Tori said.

Kuwabara blinked in surprise. "You'd go with me."

"Of course," Sira said as she gave him a hug. "You're my favorite carrot top."

"Aw," Yusuke said, "It's so cute I want to puke."

"So," Tori said, "are we going to do this?"

Kuwabara shrugged. "Sure, why not."

Both girls squealed in delight.

"Don't you need to buy dresses?" Shizuru asked.

"Yeah, so?" Sira said.

"You need money in order to buy dresses."

Sira and Tori looked at each in shock.

"Crud, how long do we have till the dance?" Tori asked.

Kuwabara glanced at the invitation. "A week from tomorrow."

"Great," Sira said with a slight laugh "So, we have a week to get a job, get some money and buy a dress. No problem."

Tori blinked before smacking her head. "Oy with the poodles already!"

* * *

Lights aura: Eh, short I know but I had exams.

Amu: Scary part about this chappie is that the sponge story is true.

Lights aura: Yep, my poor friend suffered that fate. So, sad.

Amu: Anywho, you know what to do! READ and REVIEW!


	14. The Night of the Dance

The Night of the Dance

* * *

Lights aura: Hey peoples! Long time no see!

Amu: We've been on hiatus because of two major projects we are working on.

Lights aura: I hope you enjoy the next chappie!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I only own Sira, Tori, Amu and my two projects, ugh!

* * *

As luck would have it, the girls ended up finding jobs. Tori started working as a clerk in a Barnes and Noble Bookstore while Sira had a job as a clerk in the gift shop of the local zoo. They put in a few extra hours each day and by the day of the dance, they had enough money to buy cheap dresses.

It was mid-afternoon when they finally reached the department stores.

"Okay," Sira said as she started scanning the dress aisle. "Just look for something cheap." She pulled out a fuchsia dress. "Look this one is fifty percent off."

"And for good reason," Tori pointed to the dress. The dress looked as if it had been attacked by frills and lace.

"Okay not this one then," Sira said as she threw it back on the rack.

"Why do all the cheap dresses have to look like crap?" Tori asked as she pulled out a multicolored dress.

"Eh, I think manufactures do it in order to make fun of poor people," Sira said.

Sira ended up buying a simple blue spaghetti strap dress which reached her knees. Tori on the other hand, wore a simple fuchsia spaghetti strap dress which also reached her knees.

They raced home and immediately started to get ready. "Hey Tor?" Sira called as she brushed her hair. "Is there any chance you can do my hair for me?"

Tori's head appeared from around the doorway. "Why, you can't do it yourself?"

Sira put her hairbrush down and stared at her. "You know me. I'll try but I'll lose patience with it and throw it up in a ponytail."

Tori sighed. "Fine."

"Yeah!" Sira clapped her hands together. "I feel like I haven't been to dance in forever."

* * *

An hour later, the girls were ready to go. Entering the den, Kuwabara, Kurama, Yusuke, and Keiko were waiting for them. Tori wore her hair in an elegant up do with curls framing her face and tumbling from a clip. Sira, on the other hand, was wearing her hair half up and half down. There was a slight curl to it as well. At the sight of them, Kurama and Kuwabara raised their eyebrows while Yusuke laughed. "Wow, you guys actually look somewhat decent in those dresses."

Keiko slapped Yusuke across the face. "Yusuke, be nice to them."

Tori and Sira grinned as they ran over to Keiko.

"It is such an honor to meet you," Tori said as she shook her hand.

"Yes we're big fans," Sira said as she shook the other hand.

"Hey," Yusuke said as he leaned towards the other two guys. "Have you noticed that those two are big fans of all our friends who are girls?"

"Be glad they didn't clobber us when they first saw us," Kurama said.

The three guys thought for a moment before shivering.

"We would have died," Kuwabara said.

Sira cleared his throat as the other girls looked expectantly at the guys.

* * *

When they drove up to the school, they quickly made their way to the gym, the place where the dance was to be held. It turned out that the dance committee had decided on an Under the Sea theme and spared no expense in turning the gym into a tropical colorful sea of fishes. Kuwabara was felt slightly nauseous but this was probably because if one stared too long at the walls, it started to look like the painted waves were moving.

"Okay peoples," Sira said, "Let's party like rock stars," She held her hands up in the rock star sign.

"Sometimes, I wonder why I even bring you with me," Tori said with a sigh.

Sira rolled her eyes, "Oh, please, you're just jealous because Kuwabara and I are going to wipe the floor with you with our amazing dance skills."

Keiko laughed. "I think you are forgetting about Yusuke and me."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Keiko just grinned as she dragged Yusuke to the dance floor.

"I think," Tori said, "You have competition."

Kurama held out his hand to Tori, "Shall we?" Tori grinned at Sira before heading out to the dance floor with Kurama.

"Oh, it's so on," Sira said as she dragged Kuwabara to the dance floor.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, a slow song finally came on. Exhausted, Kuwabara and Sira leaned on each other as they danced.

"Dancing is tiring," Kuwabara panted, "Even more tiring than fighting a demon."

"Whatever you say," Sira said as she panted.

All the sudden, Kuwabara perked up as his gaze traveled across the room. She followed his gaze and saw Botan and Yukina standing at the entrance of the gym. Botan looked excited while Yukina looked nervous.

Sira sighed as she gave Kuwabara a slight grin. "Go get her, tiger."

Kuwabara gave her a grateful smile before running after Yukina.

Sira sighed as she turned her attention to the dance floor. Yusuke and Keiko were slow dancing off to the right. Although Yusuke had a look of disgust on his face, Sira knew that he was secretly enjoying it.

Over to her left, Kurama and Tori were slow dancing as well. Their slow dancing was almost hypnotic to watch. Every move seemed sensual.

_Damn,_ She thought, _they are good dancers._

Tori seemed to break from her trance when she spotted Sira. A frown was etched on her face. Sira quickly waved to her before heading to the drink and snack stand. She knew her best friend too well. If she felt Sira wasn't having fun, she would ditch Kurama on the spot and come over 

and chat with her. Sira didn't want to spoil the mood mainly because she wanted to make fun of Tori later on.

After deciding on a glass of fruit punch, Sira casually stepped outside of the gym to get a breath of fresh air. She sighed dreamily as she gazed up at the stars.

Where Tori and she were from, they never were able to see the stars clearly. Here though, the view was unobstructed as she gazed at the universe before her. It was truly a magnificent sight.

As she went to take a sip from her cup, she realized that it was no longer in her hand. She stared dumbly at her hand for a couple of seconds before she realized that there was someone standing in front of her. Looking up, she saw Hiei standing there sipping her punch.

Sira's eye twitched as she clinched her fists. "How dare you steal _my _drink! What makes you think that you have the right to steal _my _drink?"

Hiei casually flashed his sword.

Sira crossed her arms and pouted. "Fine, you have a point." She sighed. "One of these days, when I find a superior powerful sword, you are going to be sorry."

"Hn," Hiei said as he continued to drink her punch.

Sira raised an eyebrow at him. "Why are you here anyway?"

"Yukina," Hiei said.

Sira rolled her eyes. "You know, she can take care of herself plus Kuwabara wouldn't let anything happen to her."

Hiei snorted. "That idiot couldn't even take care of a fish."

Sira placed her hands on her hips as she glared at him. "Kuwabara is not as bad as you make him out to be. Sure, he's slightly clumsy, quick to anger, and doesn't seem to realize that when the shower is running that you might be in it…" She stopped when she saw Hiei's expression. "I probably shouldn't have told you that."

"You think?" Hiei asked as he took another swig from her punch.

"But that's beside the point," Sira continued, "He has other qualities that make him special. He's loyal, kind, and caring. That outweighs all of his other faults if you ask me."

Hiei studied her for a moment before handing her drink back to her. "You talk highly about someone you barely know."

Sira shrugged. "You don't have to know a person that well to know if they have certain qualities, you can automatically see them when you talk to them." She glanced at Hiei. "For instance, you are annoying as hell but I know you are a good person. You watch over Yukina even when you don't have to and you keep your promises." She paused. "So in my book, that makes you pretty good."

Hiei's lips quirked. "You are one strange human." She blinked and he was gone.

_What was that about?_ Sira thought as she looked down at her drink. Her eye twitched. "THE HELL? You drank all of my drink, you jerk! I take back everything I said about you, bastard!"

If he was around, Hiei didn't say a word.

Sira stomped angrily back to the gym. "Stupid Hiei," Sira muttered, "Drinking all of my punch, the jerk. I'm never giving him ice cream ever again."

The sound of footsteps alerted her that someone was nearby. Whirling around, she found she was alone. She could still hear the footsteps. "Hiei," she called, "if that is you, you better cut it out."

If it was him, he wasn't listening since the footsteps seemed to get louder. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she knew something was wrong. Without a second thought, she turned towards the gym.

A hand shot out of nowhere and covered her mouth and nose with a cloth. As she inhaled, a strange smell filled her lungs. Her eyes rolled back as her eyelids fluttered close. The last thing she saw was a figure laughing at her before she faded into darkness.

* * *

Lights aura: Ha, ha, evil cliffhanger!

Amu: That's your signature isn't it?

Lights aura: (shrugs) I don't know, it's fun. Anywho, I'm leaving up the hiatus on my profile because I'm still working on my projects and won't know when I'll be able to update again although, I do get inspired when people review.

Amu: So you know what to do people! READ and REVIEW! See ya later!


	15. Shit! I'm a Damsel in Distress Again!

Shit! I'm a Damsel in Distress Again!

* * *

Lights aura: Hello everybody!

Amu: We're back!

Lights aura: I'm trying something knew with this chappie. Since I am a total slacker and forget to answer reviews. I've decided to acknowledge them here.

Amu: Especially since these people are amazing for taking time to write them.

Lights aura: So, here we go!

WT: Thanks for reviewing! I hope this chappie meets your expectations!

Rheaclairet: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you thought it was cute.

Out-Of-Control-Authoress: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you don't think Sira and Tori are Mary Sues. Gosh, I think I would have a heart attack if they were.

UpperClassK9: Thanks for the review! I'm glad I'm keeping you interested.

Littlekawaiifirefox: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you love my story! I hope you like this chappie as well.

Lunalom: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you're hooked. (feels special)

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I only own my insane yet lovable characters.

* * *

Tori frowned. Something wasn't right. Awhile ago, she had noticed Sira quietly slip out of the gym. She guessed Sira had wanted some air and would be back in a few minutes, so she hadn't followed her.

It was now thirty minutes later and she had seen no sign of her.

Kurama said something but due to the loud music, she couldn't hear him.

"What?" She asked.

He leaned towards her ear. "I said, are you okay?"

Tori shook her head. "I've just got a bad feeling that's all."

"Geez," Yusuke said as Keiko and he walked up to them. "They need to get better air conditioning for this place."

"Have you seen Sira recently?" Tori asked.

Keiko and Yusuke shook their heads. "Why?" Keiko asked. "Is something wrong?"

At this point, Kuwabara, Botan and Yukina walked over.

"Have you seen Sira?" Tori asked them.

They shook their heads as well.

"No, is she missing?" Kuwabara asked, his voice rising in alarm.

"I don't know," Tori said, "It's just… something's not right."

* * *

Sira groaned as she came to. Her head felt cloudy making it hard to form lucid thoughts. Plus, the fact that her entire body was aching wasn't helping her situation. Slowly, the previous hour came back to her. The dance, her talk with Hiei, her abduction...

Her eyes flew open as she sat up quickly. This probably wasn't the best idea since her head was roaring. Her eyes watered up slightly as well. After a few moments, the roaring died down, allowing her the chance to assess her situation.

She was suspended about ten feet in the air in what appeared to be a giant bird cage. Down below was what looked like a park surrounded by a large stone wall. In other words, it didn't look like she was escaping any time soon.

Her face turned bright red as her anger set in. "I can't believe this! I'm the damsel in distress again? What, am I just so pathetic that I get put in peril twice within a short time?" She kicked the side of the cage. "This sucks! I don't want to be a damsel in distress! Why can't someone else be it? Why can't I just be the ordinary girl who is oblivious to everything and is only really there for comedic relief?"

"Will you shut up?" Hiei yelled from below.

Surprised, Sira peered out from her cage. Sure enough, Hiei was standing beneath her glaring.

"Oh, Hiya Hiei!" Sira grinned as she waved. "Whatcha doing here?"

"How should I know," he said angrily, "One minute I'm sitting in a tree, the next, I wake up here to the sound of you acting like a blubbering idiot."

"I was not acting like a blubbering idiot," Sira said angrily as she crossed her arms. "I was acting… distressed."

"No, no, no," Floretine said as she materialized before them. She stamped her foot angrily. "_You_ weren't supposed to come!" She pointed an accusing finger at Hiei as her wings fluttered in frustration. "It was only supposed to be the girl. You'll ruin everything!"

"You've got five seconds to send me back to the gym or I'll cut off those precious wings of yours," Hiei said as he pulled out his sword.

Florentine stuck her tongue out. "You don't scare me." She snapped her fingers and a loud rumbling emitted from the ground. Two giant plants shot up ten feet into the air. Large buds appeared at the ends. They split in half revealing a row of sharp white teeth. They let out a roar as they eyed Hiei hungrily.

Florentine let out a giggle. "At least, not when I have these guys around." She snapped her fingers again and they attacked Hiei.

While Hiei was busy fighting off the plants and Florentine was busy watching, Sira was freaking out.

"Holy Shit! Holy Shit!" she yelled. "They're freakin' mutated venus fly traps. They're like those stupid piranha plants from Mario. Oh god, we're going to die by being eaten by a plant. This sucks! I wanted to die when I was really old in my sleep. Not by a stupid plant. Hell, I eat plants not the other way around."

"Will you shut up?" Hiei yelled as he sliced off the head of one of the plants.

"Shutting up," Sira said softly as she stared wide-eyed at the twitching remains of the plant.

Hiei made quick work of the other, making Florentine mad once more.

"This is so unfair," Florentine whined. "You were supposed to die." She quickly took flight as she let out a giggle. "Never mind, I kill you myself." She sent a bolt of lightning flying towards Hiei. He quickly dodged it using his speed to rush towards Florentine. She quickly matched his speed and soon, they were moving so fast that they only looked like a blur.

Sira tried to watch them for a few minutes but gave up when her head started to hurt from straining her eyes. A bolt of lightning was sent towards her. With a yelp, she dropped to the ground just as the lightning sailed over her. "Watch we're you shooting," she yelled angrily.

A few more minutes past before Florentine and Hiei separated. They were panting heavily as they glared at each other. Florentine let out an inhuman shriek as she charged towards Hiei. Right as she was about to reach him, Hiei hurled his fist into her chest. As soon as it made contact, black fire erupted onto her chest.

Florentine let out a shriek as the flames began to spread. "No, it can't end like this!" With one last howl, she was engulfed by flames.

The ground shook once more as a bright light engulfed the entire area. All the sudden, Sira was falling. With a loud thunk, she hit the ground. Rubbing her sore rear, Sira found that Hiei and she were once more in front of the gym.

"Wow," she said, "You actually beat her."

Hiei was faced away from her, standing oddly still.

"Uh, earth to Hiei? Are you alright?" She asked as she approached him.

He still made no response.

"Okay, what's wrong?" She asked as she stepped in front of him. His eyes were slightly glazed as he swayed back and forth slightly.

Before she could react, Hiei leaned forward, his lips brushing hers. She froze up immediately, her brain shut down from the shock of Hiei's random action. A second later, it was over as Hiei slumped to the ground.

Feeling slowly came back to her as her mind tried to process what had just happened. It took her a few moments to realize that a strange sound was coming from the ground. Looking down, Sira found that Hiei was snoring.

Still dumbfounded, all she could do was stare at him.

"Sira!" Tori said as she and the others raced up to them. "Are you alright? We've been looking all over for you."

"Hiei's sleeping," Sira said dumbly.

Kuwabara and Yusuke starting laughing as Kurama checked him over.

"Well," Kurama said after a moment, "It seems that he expended all of his energy."

"Hah, he fell asleep again," Kuwabara howled as he doubled over.

"This is just like what happened at the Dark Tournament," Yusuke laughed, "Just better."

Keiko slapped Yusuke on the back of the head. "Yusuke, behave."

"Ow," Yusukse said as he rubbed his head.

"Do we need to help Mr. Hiei?" Yukina asked worriedly.

Botan shook her head. "No, it probably would be better to let him come to on his own."

Tori had been watching Sira from the corner of her eye. Her strange silence was starting to worry her. Without hesitation, Tori grabbed her hand and took her to the side.

"Okay," she said, "What's up?"

"N-nothing," Sira stammered.

"Something's up," Tori said, unconvinced, "You're acting way too weird…" Her eyes lit up, "Oh my god! He kissed you, didn't he?"

"I'm…not …sure," Sira said, "He kind of passed out when he did it so I'm not sure it was intentional." She smacked her forehead. "God, why did it have to be him? The first one was supposed to be special." Her eyes widened as she clapped her hands over her mouth.

Tori raised an eyebrow. "Wait, are you telling me you've never been kissed before?"

Sira winced. "Surprise?"

"But you said you made out with Trevor in ninth grade?"

Sira sighed. "Well I had to make up something! What was I supposed to say when you guys were talking about your escapades? That I was more of a virgin than the Virgin Mary?"

Tori smiled sympathetically, "You know I wouldn't have ostracized you just because you are romantically impaired."

"I used to think it was just the fates being cruel but no, it's true, I'm just romantically impaired." She slapped her forehead again. "Why did it have to be him?"

Tori was about to comfort her again when they heard the others raise their voices. Looking over, she noticed that Hiei was starting to come to. "Well," Tori said as she steered Sira back to the others, "The moment of truth. Does he remember?"

She could feel Sira shaking in her hold.

Hiei glanced up at Sira and glared. "Oh, you survived."

"How much do you remember?" Sira asked.

"I killed Florentine and then woke up here," Hiei said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Wait, you killed the butterfly?" Yusuke asked in disbelief.

Tori quickly glanced at Sira. She looked relatively calm over the fact that Hiei had no recollection of what happened.

"Hiei," Sira said in a calm voice, "You are a complete and total ass." She quickly turned around and walked away leaving everyone, excluding Tori, completely confused.

"What's up with her?" Yusuke asked.

Tori sighed. "It's a girl thing?"

"Oh," Kuwabara said, "You mean PMS?"

Tori nearly face vaulted. "No," She finally said, "it's not that. It's another girl thing."

* * *

Socrates let out a howl as he sent a bottle crashing into a wall. "How dare he?" He said, "How dare he taint my toy." A loud growl emitted from the darkness as a pair of yellow eyes watched him. A grin slowly spread across his face. "But he will pay. Yes, he will pay dearly." His laughter echoed off the stone walls.

* * *

Lights aura: Yeah, I actually wrote a long one this time! (feels special)

Amu: I knew you had it in you.

Lights aura: Well, you guys know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	16. Stalking:101

Stalking:101

* * *

Lights aura: Whoop! I wrote a chappie out within a week. That hasn't happened in awhile.

Amu: Like forever.

Lights aura: Anywho, I felt I have neglected Tori for a little bit so this chappie focuses on her.

Amu: Now on to the responses to the reviews!

Rheaclairet: Thanks for the review! Yeah, I'd hate if that was my first kiss too. I'm a hopeless romantic so I'd probably be pissed.

Out-Of-Control-Authoress: Ask and you shall receive, ha, ha. Anyway, thanks for the review. I don't know if it was Hiei's first or not but if it was then it sucks for him since he was asleep for it.

Spidey meets Wizard-Theif: Hey thanks for the review you two! I'm glad WT has got you reading some Yu Yu Hakusho, Spidey. Yeah, it probably would have been funny if they had come earlier but I have a feeling Sira wouldn't leave her room for a couple of days if that had happened.

UpperClassK9: Thanks for the review! Yeah, Hiei probably would have taken longer to recover like in the Dark Tournament but I figured that he's Hiei. He just does whatever he wants.

Lunalom: Thanks for the energetic review, ha, ha. Anyway, I like that line too. Let's face it, if a woman is the least bit cranky, those are the first words out of any man's mouth.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did, then I would be rich right about now…

* * *

It took her a couple of days, but Sira finally got over the fact that her first kiss wasn't with Prince Charming. Life quickly resumed back to its old routine although, all were still wary. The fact that their enemies hadn't reacted to Florentine's death made them believe that their enemies had something far more sinister planned for the group.

Nevertheless, Tori and Sira continued to go to their jobs. It was kind a relief for them since they could take their minds of the enemies. The only down side to their jobs was the hours.

"Oh, crud," Sira yelled as she raced through the kitchen. "I'm going to be late. I can't believe I overslept!"

"I can," Tori said as she held out a piece of toast to her, "here, take this with you."

Sira looked at her gratefully, "You're a life saver." She grabbed the toast, stuffed it in her mouth, and ran out the door.

Tori shook her head as she poured some coffee into a Styrofoam cup. Unfortunately for Sira, the zoo was on the other side of town. Since she usually overslept, she would barely make it on time. The Barnes and Noble that Tori worked at was only a few blocks down so she had plenty of time to get there. Plus, it helped that she was a morning person.

After she finished breakfast, she got a coffee to go and headed out. The air was brisk and nipped her ears and nose slightly. Sira, being a summer person, hated this type of weather. Tori, on the other hand, loved it. With spring just around the corner, the world seemed so fresh. Glancing at a nearby sakura tree, she noticed that a couple of buds were trying to form.

A loud crash and muttering came from behind her. She whirled around but found that no one was there. Shaking her head, she continued down the road. As she rounded the corner, she heard another crash followed by a stream of curses. Once again, when she looked back, no one was there.

"Okay," Tori said as she picked up her pace, "This is getting creepy."

The rest of the walk to work passed without incident. Tori tried to write off what happened as nothing but she just couldn't shake the feeling that she was being followed. She was relieved when she finally entered the bookstore.

Ever since she was little, the bookstore had always been her special domain. That was a trait, Sira and she shared. The bookstore was a place where she could escape reality. It didn't matter the reason whether she was sad, angry, or happy, it was the idea of escaping that drew her there. The ability to escape into another world and become another person had always intrigued her.

Thinking back to it, she wasn't surprised that she chose to apply for a job at Barnes and Noble. It was as if her subconscious was just trying to do what it did years ago. Escape into another world.

_The irony is_, she thought,_ that's just the predicament I'm in._ After she saluted her boss, she went to stand behind her counter and quickly went to work.

* * *

By lunchtime, Tori felt completely drained. The fact that it had been busy and that she was constantly checking over her shoulder hadn't helped. She could feel someone watching her. 

There was no doubt. In fact, once when she looked back, she could swear she saw a blur dart into a bush.

Needing a distraction, she called Sira.

After a few rings, Sira answered. "I love karma."

"Hello to you too," Tori said with a laugh, "And why do you love karma?"

"You remember that jerk zookeeper I told you about who would make crude remarks about me when I would walk by?"

"Yeah."

"He was pooped on by an elephant today."

Tori raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"Yep, he just walked by and the elephant emptied on him," Sira sighed, "I tell you, karma is bloody brilliant."

"Gosh, I hope I haven't done anything bad recently," Tori joked.

"You gave me breakfast," Sira said, "That's good karma. Good karma always cancels out bad karma."

"And you would know this since you're a karma expert."

"But, of course."

Tori shook her head, "Well, I'll let you go. Talk to you later."

"Later."

Tori disconnected. A rustling sound from behind her caused her to start. Once again, when she looked, no one was there.

Her phone chirped again.

"Hello?"

"Hey Tori," Kuwabara said, "Shizuru wanted to know if pasta would be okay tonight."

"Why didn't Shizuru call me?"

Kuwabara sighed, "Probably because she thought it would be more entertaining to force me to call than for her to call... so pasta?"

"Fine by me," Tori said with a grin.

"Do you know if Sira would be okay with it?"

"Yeah, but you should call her anyway," Tori said, "She'll want to tell you about her co-worker who got pooped on by an elephant today."

There was a pause on the other end. "You know, before I met you two, stuff like that used to surprise me."

Tori disconnected.

No sooner had she disconnected, her phone started chirping again.

"You're a girl, right?" Yusuke asked.

Tori raised an eyebrow. "Last time I checked."

"Then you would know what a girl would want on her birthday."

"What girl is having a birthday?" Tori asked.

"Keiko's birthday is on Friday and I got to get a present for her."

"What!" Tori exclaimed. "It's her birthday and you didn't tell me? Yusuke, you've got to tell me this stuff!"

"Sorry," Yusuke said sounding slightly annoyed. "So are you going to help me or not?"

Tori sighed. "Well, what were you thinking about?"

"A necklace?"

"That's good, she'll like that," Tori said.

"But should I get her one of those locket ones or something else?" Yusuke asked.

Tori grinned, "If you say you picked it out for her then it won't matter if it was a piece of rusted metal, she'll love it."

There was a pause on the other end and Tori could almost hear what he was thinking. "Don't you dare give her a piece of rusted metal."

"Who me?" Yusuke said with a laugh, "You know me."

"I do know you," She said after she had disconnected. "And that's why I don't trust you."

When her phone chirped again, she looked at it oddly. "I swear, I think my phone's possessed."

With a sigh, she answered. "Guru hot line, how may I help you?"

"I missed something, didn't I?" Kurama asked.

"It's a long story," Tori said, "So, what do you need?"

"I need to know what time you are getting off work so I can walk you home."

Tori resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Ever since the dance incident, both girls weren't allowed to walk home alone. Sira had been able to convince them not to walk her home (after having a loud argument with both Kuwabara and Yusuke) but Tori hadn't had the heart to tell them no. She knew that what they were doing was sweet but if she had to deal with one more girl nearly fainting at the sight of Kurama, she was going to rip all her hair out.

"At seven," Tori finally said. "You know you don't have to come."

"It's fine," Kurama said, "I can use the extra exercise."

As she disconnected again, she heard a rustle come from the bushes.

"On second thought," She muttered, "It's probably a good idea that he is coming."

* * *

Tori knew when Kurama had entered the bookstore because her eye started twitching and her co-worker was having a panic attack.

"Oh my gosh," the raven haired girl breathed. "He is so hott. How do I look? Oh my gosh! He's coming this way. I can't breathe! I can't breathe!"

"He's married," Tori blurted out, "to my sister!"

The girl immediately deflated. "Oh."

When Kurama walked up, she let out a sigh. "What a shame…" she trailed off as she walked away.

"What's a shame?" Kurama asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You're married to my sister," Tori said as she grabbed her stuff, rounded the counter and headed outside.

"You have a sister?"

"No," she admitted, "I have a little brother though."

Kurama frowned.

"What!" she protested, "What she doesn't know won't hurt her. Heck, it might prevent her from having a heart attack."

They both froze as a loud crash resounded from the bushes in front of them. Kurama held up his rose as they crept towards the bush.

Both raised their eyebrows at what they saw.

A purple ogre with a giant horn on his forehead sat behind the bushes rubbing his head. When he glanced up at them, he froze. "Uh-oh."

"Uh-oh, is right," Tori said angrily. "Are you the one who has been stalking me all day?"

"You were being stalked?" Kurama asked in alarm.

"It's not what you think," the ogre protested, "I was hired to look out for you. You know, since Sira was attacked, they will probably attacked you next."

"Who hired you?" Kurama asked.

The ogre shifted uncomfortably. "All I can say is that I can't say anything… oh, and my name is Carl."

"Well, Carl," Tori said with a sigh, "I really appreciate the whole watching out for me and all but I've got it covered."

"B-but, this is my first job," Carl whined, "Please, I can't get fired after just one case."

Tori placed a finger over her now twitching eye. "Alright, fine. You can still watch me, just try to lay low."

Carl beamed. "No problemo. I'm like a ninja. I'll be so quiet that people will mistake me for shadows.

* * *

On the way home, Carl ran into two trashcans, a tree, and accidently stepped on a cat.

"Geez," Tori said as she slapped her forehead, "A deaf man could tell where he is."

Carl ended up cutting his knee pretty badly, which was probably due to the cat, so Tori forced him to wait outside while Kurama and she went to go get some Band-Aids.

Sira looked up from her reading just as Kurama and Tori passed by. Glancing out the window, she noticed the purple ogre sitting outside.

"Um, Tori?" Sira called, "There's an ogre sitting outside our front door."

"I know," Tori said from the other room, "that's Carl. He's supposed to be looking out for me."

"Uh-huh, but why is he sitting outside our front door?"

"He ended up cutting his knee pretty badly so I told him I would get him a band-aid," Tori said.

"O…kay," Sira sighed as she went back to her book, "This world is just so messed up."

* * *

Lights aura: Geez, I wrote another long chappie! How am I doing this?

Amu: Random motivation?

Lights aura: That or it could be that chocolate I ate earlier…

Amu: (sighs) Anywho, you know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	17. The Bitch is Back

The Bitch is Back

* * *

Lights aura: Hello everyone! Here's the next chapter!

Amu: (is sobbing) I don't want summer to be over.

Lights aura: We have to go back to school soon and neither one of us are happy.

Amu: (is sobbing) It sucks!

Lights aura: Stop (sniffle) that (sniffle) or I'll start (sniffle) to cry too. (Breaks down into sobs)

* * *

rheaclairet: Hey thanks for the review! Don't worry, Carl has a purpose. There is a method to my madness.

9shadowcat9: Ask and you shall receive! Ha! Thanks for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

killthesnakesx: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying the story!

UpperClassK9: Thanks for the review! As for your question, he might be working for Koenma, he might not. (grins evilly)

Out-Of-Control-Authoress: Thanks for the review! Why does everyone assume Carl is hired by Koenma? He could be hired by someone else. Or, maybe not. (is trying to act mysterious but failing miserably)

Spidey meets Wizard-Theif: Hey guys! Thanks for the review! Yeah, I know the name is not Japanese but for some reason I really wanted an ogre named Carl. (shrugs) Eh, whatever, it works. Oh, did you think of a threat?

Lacey: Like your review! Thanks!

Dreamz15: Thanks for the review! I am so glad you are enjoying this story!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything except my characters, sadly. I am so broke…

* * *

It took Sira and Tori a few days but by Friday, they had presents for Keiko's birthday party. They got off work early and went home to change. Once they were ready, they headed over to Keiko's house.

Party supplies were everywhere making them feel as if they had entered a colorful fantasy world. Yukina, Botan, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Yusuke were there along with a few friends from Keiko's school. Seeing them, Keiko rushed up to greet them. "Hey you guys! I am so glad you came!"

"Happy Birthday Keiko!" Tori said as Sira and she gave her their wrapped presents.

"How's it going so far?" Sira asked.

"Great," Keiko said as she turned away from them, "By the way, I wanted you to meet someone." She tapped a girl on the shoulder causing her to turn around. "Her name is…"

"ALEXIS?" Tori and Sira said in disbelief. Their arch rival stood before them, smirking.

Alexis raised an eyebrow. "Well, I wasn't expecting you to be here."

Tori grabbed on to Sira to prevent her from lunging at Alexis.

"What are you doing here?" Sira spat out.

Alexis shrugged. "I don't know. I was pulled her through a portal or something."

"Sounds like what happened to us," Tori said flatly.

Alexis sighed. "Look, I know I've not been the nicest person but why don't we start anew."

Tori scrunched her nose in concentration. She sounded sincere. "Okay, I guess."

"No," Sira said as she crossed her arms.

Tori frowned. "Sira…"

Sira rolled her eyes as she stomped off.

Tori shrugged awkwardly. "Well, heh."

It was thirty minutes later, when Tori found Sira. She was standing in a corner sulking.

"Was that really necessary," Tori asked as she walked towards her. "She was trying to make amends."

"Look, you can forgive her because she was a jerk," Sira said with a glare, "I can't, not after what she did."

"What did she do?" Tori asked. "You never told me."

"Never mind," Sira said as her gaze trailed to the right.

Following her gaze, Tori saw Alexis having what looked like a funny conversation with Keiko, Yusuke and Kuwabara. As Alexis laughed again, Sira let out a sound of disgust. "I am so out of here."

"Sira," Tori said but Sira was already gone.

"Is she okay?" Kurama asked as he came up to her.

Tori sighed. "I think she just needed to blow off some steam." She glanced at him. "Why aren't you having a conversation with Miss. Popularity?" She indicated Alexis.

Kurama shrugged. "I've never been fond of what's popular."

Tori smiled.

* * *

Sira was fuming as she entered the home. How dare Alexis be here! How she hated the little bitch.

She bit hard into a piece of cake sitting on the table as she flipped on the tv.

A loud explosion came from behind her as smoke filled the room. Coughing, she spun around.

Koenma in his older form stood before her trying to wave the smoke away from him.

"What the hell?" Sira said, "What's with the explosion and smoke?"

"Are damn portal system is down so I had to use the old version," Koenma coughed. "Of course, I wouldn't have to do this if a certain grim reaper would answer my calls."

"They're all at Keiko's party," Sira said after the smoked cleared. "Why is something wrong?"

Koenma rubbed his forehead. "Of course, something is wrong. A spirit eater is was set loose and Hiei was captured."

Sira fell over from shock. "Wait, as in our Hiei? The one who can kill ten men with a blink of an eye."

"I don't know how they capture him but they did. I've got to get in contact with the others fast. A spirit eater is big trouble."

"I'm sure Hiei can handle it," Sira said.

Koenma stared at her in shock. "Don't you know that spirit eaters are imprisoned in the mines in Makai? They eat people's spirit beast." He paused. "You do know what a spirit beast is, right?"

Sira nodded. "Yeah, Yusuke has one."

"Well, there are two ways a spirit beast can be born. One is the egg version. A lot less painful and you can be eaten by your spirit beast if it is evil. The other way is to tear the spirit beast from your soul and then get eaten if it's evil."

Sira winced. "Sounds painful."

"Extremely painful," Koenma sighed, "and that's what a spirit eater does. Rips the spirit beast from the person's soul then eats it."

Sira shuddered. "Ick!" Her eyes widened as she thought of something. "Wait, it's going to try to eat Hiei's spirit beast?"

Koenma's eye widened as he followed her train of thought. "Oh god, when he pulls that beast out, it's going to eat us all."

"I'll call Tori!" Sira said as she whipped out her phone.

"Oh Sira!" A sinister voice said from outside. "I've brought you a present, my pet."

Sira froze in mid-dial. "Socrates."

They both hurried outside.

Socrates floated in the air above a giant golem like monster with glowing yellow eyes and an unconscious Hiei tied to a piece of wood. On his neck was what looked like a rope necklace with a glowing aqua gem.

Sira stared at Hiei in disbelieve. To see the truth right before her eyes was crazy. Hiei had been captured.

"How did you capture him?" She blurted out.

Socrates smirked. "The demon was rather cocky. He fell right into my trap. The gem around his neck is a water stone. It contains an imprisoned water spirit. They were originally used to bound the fire power of the ancient dragons so I decided to try it out on the fire demon." He laughed. "It seems the rules apply here as well."

All the sudden, Hiei was writhing in pain as a black mist rose from him.

The golem creature was grinning as it chanted. "Yum, yum. I'm going to eat well tonight."

The black mist settled on the ground beside Hiei and began to take shape.

"Oh no," Koenma said, "It's too late."

They braced themselves as there was a flash.

Standing beside Hiei was a black wolf puppy. It had crimson color eyes and was looking around curiously. With a yawn it said, "Haaaarrrruuuuu!"

* * *

Lights aura: And on that note, I shall leave you.

Amu: (snickers) a puppy (snickers)

Lights aura: Anyway, you know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	18. Haku

Haku

* * *

Lights aura: Hey everyone! Thank you for all of the reviews!

Amu: 103 Whoop!

Lights aura: Anywho, I decided to get one more chapter out.

Amu: We hope you enjoy it.

Killthesnakesx: Thanks for the review! Here you go!

Engraved-Angel: Thanks for the review! I'm glad that you subscribed. And, in case you haven't figured out, it is Hiei's spirit beast. You may now die from laughter, ha, ha.

Hieislittlewolfdemoness: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you love the puppy!

Rheaclairet: Thanks for the review! Don't worry you'll find out what happened between those two a few chapters from now. Thanks for wishing me good luck. I'm going to need it.

UpperClassK9: Thanks for the review! Glad you love it! You know, I hadn't thought about that but it is ironic. Creepy, I didn't even intend to do that.

Out-Of-Control-Authoress: Thanks for the review! Socrates is a very very bad villain. I'm glad that you will sleep well because of my fluffy puppy, ha.

Ctarl Angel: Thanks for review 100! Glad you like the puppy!

Spidey meets Wizard-Theif: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like the puppy. I know that it isn't anything like Hiei but don't worry, there is a reason why Hiei's spirit beast is a wolf puppy…which will be explained in later chapters.

Leghta: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you think my story rocks!

Uzura-chan: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like the puppy. I hope you like this chapter as well.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did, then I wouldn't have to go to school…

* * *

Everyone froze in their spot, unsure how to react.

Koenma fell into uncontrollable laughter. "That's Hiei's spirit beast?"

"It's a puppy?" Socrates' eye twitched. "What kind of pathetic demon has a wolf puppy for a spirit beast?"

The puppy stared at Sira and cocked his head.

"He is so cute" Sira said as she clasped her hands together.

It was probably a good thing that Hiei was still unconscious since if he heard them, he would have killed them.

"Me don't care," The spirit beast eater said, "Me eat."

Sira frowned. "You will do no such thing. You come near that puppy and I will personally rip your balls off."

"Uh Sira," Koenma said, "Since you're human it probably is best that you don't taunt the spirit eater."

"Can't help it," Sira said, "Maternal instinct is kicking in."

Socrates yelled. "Spirit eater, hurry up and eat the beast."

"No!" Sira and Koenma yelled.

All of the sudden, time started to slow down around Sira. After a moment, everything was frozen. "Oh no," Sira said, "Another time inconsistency."

Glancing at the wolf puppy, Sira got an idea. She hurried over to the wolf puppy and scooped him up into her arms. As soon as she touched him, the wolf unfroze and looked up at her with a confused expression.

"Don't worry," Sira said with a grin, "I won't let that nasty monster get you."

The wolf puppy let out a bark as he snuggled into her.

"Now, what should I name you…how about Haku?"

The wolf puppy licked her face. "Haaaaruuuuu!"

"Aw, you're trying to say your name. How cute." Sira said as she hugged him.

Looking around, she saw that everyone was starting to move again.

"Uh-oh," Sira said as she readjusted her hold on Haku. "Got to run!"

As she turned the corner, she heard Socrates say. "Where did the spirit beast go?"

"Stupid girl take food," The spirit eater said, "Me kill girl."

"Oh, crud," Sira said as she sped up.

Within moments, the spirit eater was behind her.

"Damn, he's fast," Sira panted.

"It no use, girl." The spirit eater said, "Me going to catch you and kill you!"

"Without even realizing it, she turned into Keiko's yard. Everyone was surprised to see her, especially Tori.

"Uh, Sira?" Tori said as she came up. "What are you doing?"

"Can't talk now," Sira said as she passed by, "Running for my life."

The spirit beast let out a roar as he charged after her.

Unfortunately for her, she accidentally tripped. With a yelp from Haku, they were sent tumbling. The spirit beast let out a laugh as Sira slowly backed towards the wall. The spirit eater grinned evilly. "You die now!"

"Spirit Gun!" Yusuke said. With a howl, a beam of light shot through the spirit eater. He turned around and faced Yusuke, Kurama and Kuwabara. Sira slowly slipped past him while the others took care of the spirit beast.

Unfortunately, they couldn't kill the spirit beast so they bound him up so that Koenma could take him back to the mines.

Glancing around, Sira noticed that it was only the Yu Yu Hakusho gang and Tori who were there.

She glanced at Tori. "Uh, what happened to the others?"

"Luckily they left before you brought that creep here." Tori said, "By the way, great thinking."

Sira sighed. "I was kind of running for my life. When you're running for your life, you never think clearly."

Tori smirked. Her eyes fell on Haku and raised an eyebrow. "What is that?"

"A spirit beast," Sira said as she rubbed Haku's head. "He's not mine though."

"Yeah, I can tell…" Tori said. Someone called for her so she walked off.

All the sudden, Sira felt a presence beside her. Smirking slightly, she said. "I see that you finally woke up."

"Hn," Hiei said as he looked at Haku with one eyebrow raised.

Haku let out a yip as he tried to lick Hiei's face.

Hiei looked disgusted as his eye twitched. "Hand that thing over so that I can kill it."

"What!" Sira said as she hugged Haku tightly. "You can't kill your spirit beast."

"Watch me."

Sira glared at him. "You can't kill Haku. I've adopted him."

Hiei's eye twitched again. "You named it?"

"Yes," Sira said. She paused as she heard Haku growl. They both looked down to see him sporting a glare that could rival Hiei's. "Aw, he has your glare," She held him up in the air above her as Haku tried to lick her face, "but he has my adorable charm and lovability."

Hiei sighed. "If you tell anyone that that creature is mine, I will cut out your tongue so that you can never speak again." He walked away.

"Geez," Sira said as she sat Haku down. "He doesn't have to be so touchy." She looked Haku up and down. "You know something is missing."

Haku flitted away. There was a rip and Hiei was missing part of his white bandana. Haku appeared in front of her holding the missing piece.

Sira grinned as she took the piece and wrapped it around his forehead. Taking a step back, she grinned. "You look absolutely perfect!"

* * *

Lights aura: Sorry it's short but I got it out. That's got to count for something, right?

Amu: Wrong

Lights aura: (glares at Amu) Anywho, you know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	19. Death by Paper Cuts? I Don't Think So

Death by Paper Cuts? I Don't Think So…

* * *

Lights aura: Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay.

Amu: Stupid school. Stealing our souls…

Lights aura: Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chappie!

Nusumu Mizuki: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you love Haku!

littlekawaiifirefox: Thanks for the reviews! Don't worry, I was bad about reviewing for you as well. Anyway, I am happy with any cake for a sweet. Amu: (whispers) give me pie! L.A.: Amu! Amu: Ignore her, get pie!

Out-Of-Control-Authoress: Thanks for the review! I'm glad I produced laugh induced seizures. It makes me happy that people appreciate my weird sense of humor.

UpperClassK9: Thanks for the review! Geez, why do you have to be smart…I mean, I don't know what you are talking about…

Spidey meets Wizard-Theif: Thanks for the review! Yeah, I guess Haku is like their kid but if you told either one of them that then they might kill you. (sees WT) Oh, sorry about that… Anyway, who's Puu?

blizardwolf1: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you think Haku is a lot like Hiei's spirit beast. I did have a reason for making him that way.

Angel of Randomness and Death: Thanks for the review! I'm glad I rock and Haku is cute. It makes me happy.

xXxshortxXxpsychoxXx: Thanks for the reviews so far! I'm glad you are enjoying the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did then I wouldn't have to go to school.

* * *

Socrates growled as he stormed into the room. He hated how they summoned him like he was some dog. In the darkness, he could barely make out the three figures staring at him.

"You called," He said flatly.

"Your petty squabbling with this Hiei character is messing with our plans," the deep voice one said.

"Just give me one more chance, I can kidnap Sira," Socrates said.

"You have already ssscrewed up onssse, we cannot let you ssscrew up again," the snake voice hissed.

"Be glad we do not kill you for your incompetence," the eerie female voice said.

"I think it's time for Viper to have a go," the deep male voice said.

"As you wish. I will not fail you," the snake-like voice said. "I already have a ssspy within their group. The ssspy will help with our plansss."

"Excellent," the deep male voice said. "For the time being, Socrates, you are to stay within this realm. If you interfere, you will be charged with treason and be killed on the spot. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand," Socrates said as he bowed. He would please them for now but he wasn't about to let Viper have all the fun. Not as long as Sira and Hiei were still alive.

* * *

As Tori finished getting ready, she heard howls coming from the kitchen. She rolled her eyes as she tried to withhold a sigh. Everyone knew that Haku was a spirit beast. They just weren't sure who he belonged to. He definitely wasn't Sira's, that she knew. Still, Sira had taken upon herself to raise him as if he were a wolf pup. This included proper socializing. Socializing for a wolf meant howling at random hours. It got rather frustrating.

Tori walked into the kitchen where Kuwabara watched Sira and Haku grumpily. "Is it really necessary to howl right now?" She paused as she stared at Sira. "Wait a minute, it's morning. Why are you so perky?"

"I am taking care of Haku," Sira said before turning her attention back to him. "And I have to make a good impression for him. Yes, I do." She scratched his ear while he wagged his tail.

"Um, Sira, you do know that Haku is Japanese," Kuwabara said.

Sira nodded. "Yes."

"So, you know what Haku means, right?"

Sira frowned. "It means something?"

"Yeah," Kuwabara said as he tried not to snicker. "It means white."

Tori snickered. "Wait, so you named a black wolf puppy White?"

Sira glared at them. "I just liked the name. I didn't research it like you dorks."

Tori wagged her finger. "What happened to making a good impression?"

"It died when you two made fun of me," Sira said as she shoved a piece of toast down her throat.

"You know," Kuwabara said as he reached over to pet Haku. "He is a cute little fella."

Haku growled as he nearly bit Kuwabara's hand off. Kuwabara pulled his hand away as he stared at Haku as if he were possessed. "Geez, what's his problem?"

"He kind of reminds me of Hiei," Tori said jokingly.

Sira nearly choked on her toast. "No, he doesn't. Not at all." She glanced at her watch and scooped up Haku. "I've got to go." She was out the door before anyone could say anything.

Kuwabara frowned as he stared at the door. "That was strange." He glanced back at Tori. "How is she going to convince her boss about Haku?"

Tori shrugged. "She's Sira. She'll think of a way." She sighed as she grabbed her bag of doughnuts she bought the night before. "I've got to go. See you later!"

Kuwabara waved back. "Later!"

Once she was outside, she looked for Carl. It wasn't too hard to find him since there was only one bush with big purple feet.

She walked up to the bush and said. "You want a doughnut?"

Carl popped out of the bush, looking confused. "How did you know I was here? Are you psychic?"

She shook her head. "No, I just know bushes don't have feet."

"Oh," Carl said as he grabbed a doughnut and looked dejected.

Tori sighed. "Don't worry, you'll get better at it."

Carl puffed up his chest. "Yep, you'll see. I'll be the best bodyguard ever!"

_I wouldn't count on that,_ Tori thought as she put on a fake smile.

* * *

It was really busy at the bookstore, so Tori was kept pre-occupied for most of the day. It was near the end of the day when it finally lulled. As Tori took a moment to collect her breath, someone walked up to the counter. With a sigh, Tori looked up. "Did you find…oh."

Alexis stood before shifting from one foot to the other. "Um, hey."

"Hey," Tori said, trying her best to seem friendly.

"Look," Alexis said as she handed her a piece of paper. "I'm having a little party at the place where I'm staying on Saturday and I was hoping you, Sira, and your friends would like to come."

Tori hesitated as she looked at the frilly invitation. "I'll have to check…"

"Oh, please say you'll both come," Alexis interrupted. "I really do want to make it up to you."

Tori sighed. "Okay, I'll see what I can do."

"Excellent," Alexis said as she clapped her hands. "I'll see you then."

Before Tori could say another word, she was gone.

* * *

As Tori left the bookstore, she pulled out the invitation and glanced it over.

"Hello," Carl said as he appeared in front of her.

Tori let out a yelp as she took a step back. "Carl! What do you think you are doing? Someone might see you!"

Carl snatched the invitation from her hands. "I must inspect this to make sure it is safe."

Tori rolled her eyes. "Carl, it's a piece of paper. What's going to happen? I'm going to die from a paper cut?"

"You can never be too careful," Carl said. After a moment, he handed it back. "It looks safe."

"That's good," Tori said as she shoved him into a nearby bush. "Now go back to hiding."

When she got home, Sira was already there. Haku and she were sitting on the sofa watching TV.

"Yo," Sira said as she leaned her head back to look at her. "How was work?"

"Fine," Tori said as she flopped down next to her. "We were invited to a party."

Sira lifted an eyebrow. "Whose?"

Tori sighed as she braced herself. "It's from Alexis."

Sira glared. "No."

"Just give her a chance," Tori begged. "I have to go. She made me and I can't do this without you."

Sira stared at her for a long moment. "Fine, I'll go just because you are my best friend."

"We can make fun of how ridiculous people look, if that will make you feel better," Tori said.

Sira smirked. "Yeah, it would."

"So," Tori said, "did your boss let you keep Haku with you?"

Sira nodded. "Yep, I told him that it would benefit the tourists. They would be able to be up close and personal with an endangered creature. It would make them more likely to help the species."

"Clever," Tori said.

Sira grinned. "I know." She sighed. "You know, you're really going to owe me one after the party."

Tori rolled her eyes. She was dreading that since she knew Sira always collected on debts.

* * *

Lights aura: Okay it's the end of the chapter.

Amu: Kind of a filler, isn't it?

Lights aura: (shrugs) Yeah, but it'll pick up next chapter. Anyway, you know what to do. Read and review!


	20. Parties Bring Back Memories

Parties Bring Back Memories

* * *

L.A.: Sorry peoples! I know it's been a long time.

Amu: (shakes head) Well, if you didn't collapse at the end of the day then maybe you would have gotten done sooner.

L.A.: ( glares at Amu) Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

xXxshortxXxpsychoxXx: Thanks for the review! Yes, it is funny that the two toughest guys have cute spirit beasts.

UpperClassK9: Thanks for the review! Hm, did you guess right? I don't know…heh, heh,

Out-Of-Control-Authoress: Thanks for the review! Yeah, Haku is cute. I just want to hug him.

Spidey meets Wizard-Theif: Thanks for the review guys! Yeah, I know who Puu is. It just didn't dawn on me until after I wrote that. Heh, I felt stupid…

Miko-Valkov: Thanks for the review! Yeah, you would think they would notice but I guess they're just a little oblivious.

DreamerYuri: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you are enjoying it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did then my characters would be in it.

* * *

Sira sighed as she stood behind the counter. The day had come. The day for Alexis' party and she was completely dreading it.

Haku let out a whine causing her to glance down. She smiled slightly as she picked him up. "It's okay, Haku. We'll get through this."

His tongue lapped out of his mouth as his tail wagged. A pair of hands slapped onto her counter. Glancing sideways, she saw that it was her stupid co-worker and zookeeper, Daniel Radsmiff. He smirked at her, his brown hair falling over his auburn eyes. "Hey sweet thing, how you doing today?"

Sira glared. "Bite me."

He laughed as he leaned in. "With pleasure."

Haku let out a growl as he snapped at him. Daniel whirled around and ran screaming out of the store with Haku chasing after him. It was a rather amusing sight since Daniel was terrified of a little puppy whose bark sounded more like a yelp.

Once Daniel was gone, Haku trotted back to Sira, looking highly pleased with himself.

"What a good puppy." Sira said as she scooped him up. "My little bodyguard."

She glanced at the clock again and moaned. Work was almost over. "Why me."

* * *

Tori glanced at her watch for the fifth time in thirty minutes. "Where is that girl," she muttered as she paced back and forth in the den. "She's going to make us late."

Sira burst into the house carrying Haku. "You won't believe what just happened. Haku ate a car tire…"

"How did he get a hold of a car tire?" Tori asked.

Sira waved her hand. "That's beside the point Anyway, he ate the tire and he spat up fire." She nuzzled the wolf puppy. "Like a dragon."

"That's great," Tori said distractedly as she grabbed Sira's wrist and dragged her to her room "You need to change…now."

"But I can't leave Haku," Sira whined "He might try to eat the sofa."

Tori sighed. She knew it would make Shizuru furious if that would happen. No one wanted to mess with Shizuru.

Fifteen minutes later, they met Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Botan, and Keiko outside and headed towards the party.

"Wait," Yusuke said with a raised eyebrow. "The dog is coming?"

"He ate a tire and breathed fire," Sira said calmly. "I didn't think it would be a good idea to leave him in the house alone. He might decide to burn the place down."

Kuwabara shivered. "I'm glad you didn't do that. I would never hear the end of it from Shizuru."

Fifteen minutes later, they were at the party. It seemed Alexis had decided to have a yard party since the entire back yard was decorated. A live band was playing off to the side and a catered buffet was on the other.

"If you need me," Sira said, "I'll be over at the buffet. Eating my stress away." Haku barked happily as they left the group.

"How did she afford all this," Tori wondered aloud.

"Well, I did have a couple of good friends help me out," Alexis said from behind them. She was wearing a simple sun dress. She grinned coquettishly at Kurama and Yusuke. Keiko leaned towards Tori. "You want to grab Kurama and I grab Yusuke and we force them to dance."

"Torture Yusuke?" Tori said with a grin, "That sounds like fun."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow. "Torture Yusuke? What is this about torturing me?"

He didn't get an answer. Instead, Kurama and he were dragged towards the dance floor leaving Alexis and Kuwabara standing awkwardly.

Alexis looked him up and down before walking off.

"Geez," Kuwabara murmured.

* * *

Sira shoved another roll down her throat as she continued to watch the scene with a glare. Haku was busy chewing on a chicken wing watching everyone in interest.

"Sira!" Alexis said causing Sira to wince. She swallowed her roll as she turned to face her. Alexis smirked. "I see you still love eating."

"I see you still don't." Sira said flatly.

Alexis sighed as she leaned against the table. "I know we haven't been on the friendliest terms but how about we start fresh."

Sira laughed. "That's easy for you. You weren't the one who was mortified in front of all the populars."

"It was a mistake," Alexis said, "I'm truly sorry."

Sira shook her head. "You just don't get it do you? I can take a lot of crap but once I've had enough, I rarely forgive." She looked away from Alexis. "Now, if you would excuse me, I've just lost my appetite."

She walked away. Haku let out a whine as he quickly followed. Sira let herself wander aimlessly through the patch of trees nearby. Haku followed as he tried to catch and eat the butterflies that flew about.

She stopped in front of a tall tree. She was suddenly possessed with the urge to climb. Taking a deep breath, she hoisted herself to the closet branch. She repeated that process a few more times before she was pretty high up. With a contented sigh she leaned back against the tree.

A yelp from below signaled that Haku wanted to come up as well. Sira glanced down at him. "You can come up. You can do it."

Haku frowned as he backed up a few feet and jumped. He reached the first branch. He hopped from branch to branch until he reached Sira. He curled up in her lap and closed his eyes.

She frowned as she watched the sun set. How could Alexis think they could be friends? She could never forgive her. Not after what she did.

Sira could remember the incident like it was yesterday. Alexis and she had been best friends. They had shared everything including who they were crushing on. When she said she liked Brad Scott Alexis immediately arranged it so that there would be a party where she could chat with Brad.

She had spent over an hour and a half getting ready. Yes, it was time consuming but she figured the results would be worth it in the end. How was she to know that when she got there, Alexis and he would be making out.

Sira sighed sadly as she readjusted her position on the tree.

Seeing them, Sira had just stood there staring at them in shock. She had been dimly aware of people snickering at her. That wasn't what got to her though. It was the look Alexis had given her when she finally noticed Sira.

Alexis had flicked her eyes at her and smirked before continuing kissing Brad. When she left the party that night, she left her friendship with Alexis there as well.

She sniffed as she felt a tear trickling down her cheek. "Damn," she muttered. "I said I wasn't going to cry." But it seemed as if the floodgates had opened as sob after sob racked through her body.

* * *

Amu: That's it for now.

L.A.: Before I forget, a reviewer from one of my other stories asked if she could draw my characters. You guys are welcome to draw them as long as you let people know they are my characters.

Amu: Especially since she can't draw

L.A.: Your negativity is not appreciated here.

Amu: I'm not being negative. I'm being realistic.

L.A.: Anyway, just let me know so that I can post a link on my profile to it. That's it for now, just let me know what you think.


	21. Epiphanies Can Lead to Depression

Epiphanies Can Lead to Depression

* * *

L.A.: Hello everyone! I've updated again.

Amu: We really need to kidnap life and lock it in a closet so that it will quit interfering with our plans.

L.A.: I totally agree. Anyway, this chapter is short because it was originally part of the last chapter.

Amu: She was just too lazy to combine the two.

L.A.: (glares at Amu) Liar, I was busy.

Amu: Sure you were…

**UpperClassK9**: Thanks for the review! Yeah, that was low for Alexis. I'm glad that hasn't happened to you though.

**Spidey meets Wizard-Theif**: Thanks for the review you two! Sira wasn't actually mad about the guy, she was mad that her friend betrayed her. Heck, I think I would disown her if she was holding a grudge that long just because of some guy.

**Out-Of-Control-Authoress**: Thanks for the review! Oh no, you broke your back from bowing. (gives magic cure that makes it better) That should help! Yeah, I know my chapters are shorter. It's life being its annoying self. I'm hoping the next chapter will be longer again.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did then life and I would be the best of friends…

* * *

Hiei stared at the girl for several moments from his spot on a branch above hers. She had been sitting in the tree sobbing for awhile now. Haku was sitting in front of her whining softly. It was rather annoying to hear the girl cry but what was more annoying was the fact that he didn't _want_ to see her cry.

He had no idea what was causing this feeling and it was frustrating him. There was no reason for his sudden displeasure at seeing the young girl upset. Maybe it was because he was used to seeing her in a more upbeat mood. That had to be the reason for his loss of disinterest in the human.

After a moment, he cleared his throat to get her attention.

Sira froze mid sob as she looked up at him in surprise. "Oh, I didn't know you were here." She glanced down at the ground. "I'll move if you want."

Hiei raised an eyebrow. Since when had she been so non-confrontational? And, why the hell was it bugging him?

The words came out of his mouth before he could stop them. "You can stay if you want." He frowned as he leaned against the tree.

"Oh," She said as she leaned back against the tree as well.

Haku looked curiously from Hiei to Sira.

They sat in a silence for a few minutes.

Hiei was almost sure she had fallen asleep when she said. "Hey Hiei, why do people suck sometimes?"

He raised an eyebrow. It was such a cynical question coming from her. "How should I know," he said, "all you humans annoy me."

She snickered at this. "Yeah, well sometimes humans annoy me too." She looked down at Haku. "Sometimes, I think it would be better to be a dog. They don't worry or hold grudges."

Hiei suppressed a sigh. Why was she still talking to him? A part of him, though found her sudden change in demeanor intriguing.

She looked up at him. "Do you think it's wrong to hold a grudge?"

Hiei shrugged. "I think you should do whatever you want."

She blinked a couple of times before turning her attention back to Haku. "Interesting opinion," she stroked Haku. "Ever thought of writing a book?"

"Hn," Hiei leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes.

"I can see it now," She said as her hands spread out before her. "Hiei,a man of few words with many meanings, book in stores now."

"I liked you better when you were moody," Hiei muttered.

Sira laughed as she hopped out of the tree. "Yeah, well, I've been moody long enough. Plus, Tori would kill me if I became an angsty goth writer." She paused as she shuddered. "In fact, I would kill me too if I did."

Haku hopped down and landed next to her.

"See you later, midget," She said with a wave.

Hiei watched as she walked off. "What a strange human," he muttered unable to stop the slight smile that crept on his face.

* * *

Tori frowned as she glanced at her watch. _Sira better not have ditched me._

"Am I boring you that much?" Kurama asked.

She glanced back up at him and smiled. "No, of course not." In fact, she was having a really great time. Twirling around in Kurama's arms, she felt like she was in another world. His arms fit perfectly around her. She felt as if she was encased in a warm halo. It just felt so right.

She shook her head. _Snap out of it, Tori_, she thought to herself, _don't go down that trail of thought._

But, as she looked up into Kurama's eyes again, she found she couldn't deny the truth. She liked him. In fact, she _really_ liked him and that was where the problem lay.

She was closer to him. She wasn't sure if he or she had made the step forward. The soft expression on his face made her wish she could accept what she was feeling.

She sighed as she stepped away from him.

Kurama frowned. "Tori are you…"

"I can't," she whispered, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

Kurama reached out to her in concern. "Tori, what's wrong?"

"I just can't." She dodged his hand. "I-I'm sorry."

Before anyone could react, she was running. She wasn't sure where she was going. She just had to run. Away from him. Away from her heart that cried out in protest.

The more she ran, the calmer she felt. With the blood pumping fresh oxygen through her veins, she was able to think clearer.

With a sigh, she stopped as she bent over to catch her breath. She was being ridiculous and she knew it. Everyone developed crushes that they never acted upon so why should she act differently about this one.

"This stupid world is turning me into Juliet from William Shakespeare's play," She muttered as she relaxed.

Yes, now that she took the time to think about it, she really didn't have to worry. It wasn't love. People rarely experienced love at her age. Well, maybe for their pets but not for another human.

Satisfied with her thought, she decided to look around. She frowned. "Where am I?" She could see the lights from the party twinkling below her. Off to her right, a hedge maze towered over her.

"I really need to find Sira," She muttered as she reached for her cell phone.

The sound of laughter caused her to freeze in her tracks. Glancing up, she saw Sira standing in the entrance of the maze watching her with a look of amusement.

Tori put her hands on her hips as she smirked. "You know, I thought you ditched me. Where have you been?"

Sira's only response was to laugh as she raced into the maze.

"Hey," Tori protested as she raced in after her. "Where are you going?"

She was so pre-occupied with catching up with Sira that she failed to notice the hedge growing together to seal off the entrance.

* * *

Amu: (eye twitches) so…short…and…stupid…cliffhanger…

L.A.: Yeah, the notorious cliffhanger is back (is hyper off of tons of sugar trying to stay awake) Muwahahahaha!

Amu: Um, should I be worried.

L.A.: (eats entire bag of sugar) I have decided. We are kidnapping life! The plan goes down tonight.

Amu: Okay, I'm worried.

L.A.: Anywho, you guys know what to do READ and REVIEW! (races off to draw up plans to kidnap life.)


	22. Snakes in the Maze

Snakes in a Maze

* * *

L.A.: Hello everyone!

Amu: We're back!

L.A.: Because it's Halloween tomorrow and I love you all! I have an extra long chapter for you!

Amu: It's a miracle.

L.A.: We hope you enjoy!

UpperClassK9: Thanks for the review! Yeah, Tori should know better but then again, she's not perfect.

rheaclairet: Thanks for the review! Don't worry about it. I can relate to the stupid life problems.

dragongirl-8507: thanks for the reviews! I'm glad my story is humorous!

Out-Of-Control-Authoress: Thanks for the review! Aw, I'm mean? (sad face) Maybe this chapter will make you think differently?

Spidey meets Wizard-Theif: Thanks for the review you two! Aw, that would be something Haku would think. The show's reviews? I'm confused…

Lokelani87: Thanks for the review! My story's cool! (feels proud) Sweet!

Hisa-Me Kurai: Thanks for the review! Aw, thanks. I'm really glad my story is in perspective. It means I'm getting better in my writing.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I only own Haku, Sira, Tori, Alexis and Carl

* * *

Sira frowned as she gazed around the party. No matter where she looked, she couldn't see Tori. "Haku," Sira muttered to the little wolf pup in her arms. "Something's up."

Haku cocked his head inquisitively.

"Hey Sira," Yusuke said as Kurama, Kuwabara, and he walked towards her. "Have you seen Tori?"

She shook her head. "No, I was about to ask you guys the same question."

All three men suddenly looked off in the distance. Their faces were serious.

Sira raised an eyebrow. "Uh, are you guys auditioning for Baywatch or something?"

"I sense something," Kurama said.

"Yeah," Yusuke frowned, "I sense it too."

"You sense…dead people?" Sira asked with frustration. She was starting to get annoyed with being left out of the loop.

"There was a rise in spiritual energy on that hill," Kuwabara said as he pointed to a hill in the distance.

"Tori's in trouble," Sira said as she immediately headed towards the hill.

"Where are you going?" Yusuke asked, his frown deepening.

She rolled her eyes. "Obviously, I'm going to help you guys find Tori."

Kurama shook her head. "That would be highly inadvisable. The strength of this spiritual energy could prove dangerous and you would only be in the way."

"Yeah, Sira," Kuwabara said, "Don't force us to make you stay here."

Sira glared at them. "Why don't you make me?" Haku growled as smoke began to bellow from his mouth.

Yusuke and Kuwabara exchanged glances.

"Fine you can come," Yusuke said, "Just stay close."

"And keep that mutt away from me," Kuwabara muttered. "He might try and barbecue me."

"Good boy," Sira said as she rubbed Haku's head affectionately.

* * *

Tori heaved a sigh as she continued to run. She had been following Sira through the twisted maze for over ten minutes. The girl was acting rather odd, Tori noticed, and her strange giggling was starting to get on her nerves.

They finally entered an open area within the maze and stopped. Sira stood before her, hands on hips. A huge grin was plastered on her face.

As Tori caught her breath, she glared at her. "Was that really necessary? Plus, why are you so happy?" She paused as she noticed a certain black pup was missing. "And where's Haku?"

Sira cocked her head, still wearing her smile. There something strange about Sira's eyes. They seemed cold, cruel…not human.

Tori took a hesitant step back. "You're not Sira." She yelped as the archway behind her was closed off by hedges.

"Very persssseptive, human," Sira said. Her voice was a mixture of hers and of a male's snake-like voice. "I wasss wondering when you would figure it out."

"Who are you," Tori said as she started to back into the hedge.

"I am the one who is known assss Viper," the stranger said, still talking in the mixture of voices.

Tori put her back against the hedge. "What do you want?"

The stranger shrugged. "To capture you, of coursssse but I'm afraid our fun will have to wait until your friend arrivessss." The stranger's eyes became snake like with golden flecks as it began to laugh.

A strange hissing sound came from behind her ear. Whirling around, she saw a pair of golden eyes staring back at her from within the hedge. Her scream was silence before it left her mouth as the creature lunged at her.

* * *

"Wow," Sira muttered as Kurama, Yusuke, Kuwabara, and she looked up at the maze that lay before them. "You guys sure love your mazes."

Haku barked in agreement.

"Yeah," Yusuke muttered, "Except there's been nothing here for ages."

The hedges parted to the left of them as green light spilled out.

"Uh, do you get the feeling we're expected?" Sira asked.

"It would seem that way," Kurama said. As Yusuke and Kuwabara entered the maze, Kurama leaned toward Sira and whispered. "It would be wise if you stay here."

Sira sighed. "Yeah but I've never been wise, have I?" She shook her head as she readjusted her hold on Haku. "I'll be fine. I've got you guys and Haku watching my back." She ignored Kurama's disapproving stare as she entered the maze.

After following the maze for ten minutes, Kuwabara and Yusuke were starting to get annoyed.

"I'm about ready to blast my way through this maze," Yusuke said as his pointer finger began to glow.

"I'm with Urameshi," Kuwabara said as his spirit sword materialized in his hands.

"That wouldn't be a good idea," Kurama pointed behind him, "It seems this maze has a life of its own."

Looking back, Sira saw plants grow up and block the archway they had just passed. "Great, I feel like we're in Anastasia. All we need is a puppy leading the way."

Haku's ears perked as he jumped out of her arms. As soon as he hit the ground, he was running, yipping as he followed the maze.

"I didn't mean that literally," Sira called as she raced after him. They rounded the corner and stopped dead in their tracks. "Holy Shit."

Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama came up behind her. Their eyes widened. "Holy shit," Yusuke muttered.

Tori was laying on a bed of flowers. She looked as if she was fast asleep. However, this image was ruined by the fifteen or so snakes slithering over her body.

Kuwabara made a step forward but Sira stopped him.

"They're just snakes," Kuwabara said.

"They aren't just any snakes," Sira said, her face pale. "Those are some of the deadliest snakes in the world." Sira squinted at the snakes. "I see a couple black mambas, a king cobra, a taipan, a couple of coral snakes, a couple bloomslangs and a death adder." She glanced at the others.

"Are you sure," Yusuke asked.

Sira nodded. "I work at a zoo so I know my animals." She sighed. "One bite from one of those and Tori's as good as dead."

"You do know your sssnakesss human," A snake-like voice said as a figure materialized from the shadows. The figure had the body of a human and the head of a cobra. His hood was erect as his golden eyes glowed from his brown scales. He bowed. "I am the one known assss Viper. I wasss the one who captured your dear friend Tori." He pointed a clawed hand toward Sira. "You will ssssoon be joining her."

"Yeah," Yusuke said with a smirk. "Well freak, you're going to have to deal with us first."

Viper grinned exposing his fangs. "Then let the gamesss begin."

All three men attacked Viper while Sira and Haku watched from the sidelines. She really wanted to get to Tori but with all those dangerous snakes so near Tori's neck, she didn't want to chance it.

The snakes seemed to become agitated with the commotion and began to scatter. A couple of black mambas turned towards her, their beady eyes staring unblinking as they slithered towards her.

"Nice snakes," Sira said as she backed up against the hedge. "You don't want to bite me."

As a black mamba lunged for her, Haku jumped in front and ate the entire snake whole. He burped fire, barbecuing the remaining mambas.

"Whoa," Sira said as Haku wagged his tail and barked happily.

Kuwabara, who had been thrown by Viper into a hedge nearby, looked at Haku and said. "Geez, that mutt will eat anything."

"Yeah," Sira smirked as she scooped Haku into her arms. "He kind of reminds me of Yusuke and you."

"Hey!"

Most of the snakes were either attacking the others or slithering away into the bushes. This was the perfect time to get to Tori. However, she stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed Tori wasn't alone.

The king cobra sat on her chest with its head raised as it watched the scene before it. Its hood wasn't erect but it seemed to be thinking and calculating its surroundings.

Secretly, Sira had always admired the king cobra. It was one of the few snakes who didn't attack randomly. All of its moves were carefully thought out.

With a hiss, it turned its attention towards her. She could see wisdom in the creature's eyes as it studied her.

Haku made an attempt to walk towards it, but she held him back. They were just out of its striking range. She knew this because the snake could only strike within the distance it could raise its body. Therefore, the snake didn't think she was a serious threat yet. She wanted it to stay that way.

"Come on Cobra," Sira murmured. "Please get off my friend."

The cobra hissed again as it looked at the fight happening between the guys and Viper. It looked down at Tori and for a split second, Sira was afraid it was going to bite her. It seemed to change its mind though and slithered off into the hedge.

Sira let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as she quickly ran towards her friend. She was about to shake her when Viper let out a yell.

Glancing at the others, she saw Viper clutching his right arm in obvious pain. "Thisss isssn't over," he hissed. Before their eyes, he transformed into a blue snake. "I'll be back." He slithered off into the hedges. As soon as he was gone, the maze disappeared.

At that moment, Tori woke up. She immediately closed her eyes as she winced. "Wha…happen…" she asked groggily.

"You were kidnapped," Sira said as she helped her friend to her feet. "You scared me when you had all those snakes slithering over your body."

Tori's eyes snapped open. "Snakes?"

"Yeah," Sira nodded. "Some of the deadliest in the world."

Tori paled as her voice went up an octave. "Deadly?"

Sira grinned. "That had to be so cool."

"Tori," Kurama said as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay? You look like you are about to pass out."

She immediately turned a brilliant shade of magenta. "I'm fine, really."

Sira was completely oblivious since she was off in her own little world. "Especially that king cobra. It was so cool. One day I'm going to have a king cobra. I'll name him Slytherin after the Hogwart's house and he will help me take over the worl…" She paused as she saw Tori's reaction. "I mean Disney world." She then proceeded to laugh maniacally.

"You know," Yusuke muttered, "sometimes I wonder if she's insane."

"I sometimes wonder if she was dropped on her head repeatedly when she was a baby," Tori said, "but that is one of life's questions will never know."

Sira glared at her. "Hey, that's not funny."

The group started as a lump was dropped in front of them. Hiei landed beside it and said. "I found this idiot tangled in some vines."

Carl quickly scrambled to his knees as he clamped onto Tori's waist and wailed. "I'm so sorry! I failed you! I'm the worst bodyguard ever!"

"Um," Tori said as she awkwardly patted Carl on the back. "It's okay?"

"I should have been there," Carl continued sobbing, "I could have done something to help."

"Like what," Yusuke whispered. "Accidentally fall on Viper?"

Sira casually stepped on his foot.

Yusuke winced as she glared at him.

"If you want to fire me, I would understand," Carl said, looking more like a puppy than an ogre.

Tori sighed. "Look it's your first job. You're bound to mess up, so why don't you stay on."

Carl looked up excitedly. "Really?" He pounced to his feet as he shook her hand. "Thank you thank you thank you! You won't regret it." He began to walk away. "You'll see I'll be the greatest body guard ev…Ah!" Carl tripped and fell into a nearby bush.

Kurama leaned toward Sira. "Was that a good idea?"

Tori shook her head. "No, but he looked pathetic so I had to give in."

"There you are!" Botan said as she walked up to them. "I've been looking for you everywhere!"

Sira sighed. "You wouldn't believe the night we've been having."

"Well, it's not over yet," Botan said. "Koenma wants to see you."

Tori frowned. "When?"

"Actually," Botan said as a portal appeared in front of them, "Right now."

* * *

L.A.: Yeah, if you couldn't tell. I really like snakes.

Amu: Especially king cobras.

L.A.: Yeah, I was the one who when there was a snake instead of running away screaming I was the one saying aw how cute and protecting it from getting its head chopped off.

Amu: Anywho you know what to do. READ and REVIEW! And…

L.A. and Amu: HAPPY EARLY HALLOWEEN!!!


	23. To Grandmother's House We Go!

To Grandmother's House We Go

* * *

L.A.: Hello everyone!

Amu: After a long time, we're back.

L.A.: With a shiny new chapter. Bask in its shininess.

Amu: (is basking in its shininess)

L.A.: Anyway, enjoy!

Out-Of-Control-Authoress: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked it!

UpperClassK9: Thanks for the review! This story is actually set later in the series when Kuwabara is attending that smart college. People often show him as the dumb idiot, which although he does do stupid things, he really isn't. He is brash and I probably haven't conveyed that aspect of him as much as I should. I'll work on that. Thanks for telling me!

Spidey meets Wizard-Theif: Thanks for the review you two! Crap, I didn't even realize all the Disney references. Disney's brainwashed me and I didn't even know it. As to who is the snitch...I won't tell… it's too much fun watching the reviewers suffer. (pauses) I promise I'm not this cynical by nature.

MagicAnimeGirl: Thanks for the review! I'm so glad you think my characters aren't Mary Sues I really am working on developing oc's that seem real. Don't worry, I'm not planning on stopping suddenly anytime soon.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. (sighs) It would be nice though…

* * *

As they stepped through the portal, they found the place as busy as usual. Tori and Sira were prepared this time so they were able to avoid being side swiped. The ogre from their previous visit came up to greet them.

"Tori, Sira, would you follow me," Ogre said, "Koenma's on a tight schedule." He glanced at the others. "The rest of you may wait here."

As they watched them leave, Hiei glanced down to see Haku standing next to him. Haku looked up at him and wagged his tail. Hiei glared. Haku glared back. Hiei fingered the hilt of his sword…and Haku took off running.

With a whine, he zipped through the ogres and jumped into Sira's arms. "It's okay, Haku," She said as she propped him against her shoulder. "You can come."

As he was being carried away, Haku looked back at Hiei and stuck his tongue out.

* * *

"Sit down, sit down," Koenma said distractedly as they sat down in the chairs in front of his desk. "We've need to discuss your living arrangements."

Tori frowned. "What's wrong with our living arrangements?"

"Yeah," Sira said as she petted Haku. "We like living at Kuwabara's house."

Koenma sighed as he rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand. "That's fine but you seem to not be safe there. Therefore, as of now, you will be living at Genkai's."

"What!" Tori and Sira yelled.

"We can't go to Genkai's!" Tori said.

"She'll murder us," Sira added.

"You're not training with her," Koenma said. "You're just staying there until things cool off around here."

"This is ridiculous," Sira said. "We've haven't been in that much trouble."

Koenma raised an eyebrow. "You were nearly erased from existence."

"Technically, that wasn't the demons fault. It was your dimension's fault."

"Yeah, nothing much has happened to me either," Tori said. "I've just been attacked by bats…and snakes…and bat and snake demons." She frowned. "Wow, I never noticed it but there's actually a pattern."

"Enough!" Koenma yelled, silencing both of them. "I am under a lot of stress right now, my dad's coming in a week to check on progress, and these demons who keep wreaking havoc aren't helping. These are all out of my control but the one thing I can control is where you are staying." His face was bright red. "So, you are staying at Genkai's understand?"

"Yes sir," Sira said as Tori and she nodded vigorously.

As they followed ogre out, Sira leaned toward Tori and whispered. "Geez, he's a little anal."

A thought occurred to Tori. She quickly spun around and said. "Koenma?"

"What?" He asked with exasperation.

"By any chance, did you hire an ogre named Carl to be a bodyguard?"

"What?" Koenma said in alarm. "No why, is there a problem?"

"No," Tori said, an uneasy feeling settled in her stomach. "It's nothing."

* * *

The next day, all their belongings were packed in a small blue Honda.

"This sucks," Kuwabara muttered. "With you gone, Shizuru will harass me even more."

Tori and Sira looked at the house forlornly before crawling in the car with Kurama, Kuwabara, and Yusuke.

The drive was an hour long. Most of it was spent joking and laughing but towards the end, Sira and Tori started to panic.

"This sucks," Sira said as she nearly choked the life out of Haku. "She's going to make us balance on needles with our pointer fingers. Knowing me, the needle will go through my finger, into my eye, and then if I'm lucky, I'll die."

"I really wish I worked out more when I was in college," Tori sighed. "Maybe then I could run a little bit before she catches me and murders me."

"It won't be that bad," Kurama said.

"Yeah," Yusuke added. "If you're lucky she'll murder you while you're sleeping."

"Urameshi!" Kuwabara said as the girls began to moan.

The car slowed to a stop in front of a temple.

Kuwabara and Yusuke immediately got out and start to play fight while Kurama walked around and opened the door for Tori.

Both girls huddled together in the back seat staring wide-eyed.

"Come on," Kurama said as he held his hand out. "It's going to be alright."

Trying not to blush, Tori accepted his hand and stepped out. Sira scrambled after her with Haku cradled to her chest.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING ON MY FRONT YARD!" a voice yelled from the temple.

Sira and Tori nearly jumped three feet as Kuwabara and Yusuke stood stock still.

An elderly woman walked towards them. Although she looked old, they could see the power she held in her was someone you didn't want to mess with. She glared at Kuwabara and Yusuke. "Why am I not surprised it's you two idiots who are messing up my lawn."

Yusuke smirked. "Hello to you to, Grandma."

Genkai chose to ignore Yusuke's attempt to make fun of her age. Instead, she raised an eyebrow as she looked Sira and Tori up and down. "So, these are the girls staying here? They're pretty scrawny."

"I'm not scrawny," Sira muttered. "I'm svelte."

A glare from Genkai silenced her as Tori promptly stepped on Sira's foot.

Genkai let out a sigh. "Just take your stuff inside. We'll discuss rooms later."

The girls were more than happy to oblige as they quickly grabbed as much as they could carry and scurried past her.

"Wow," Yusuke said. "I've never seen them so cooperative before."

"Hey idiot," Genkai said as she rounded on him. "You've been slacking off. I did not train you so that you could be a lazy fat ass." She got into his face. "From what I heard, they nearly died about six or seven times. What the hell have you been doing?"

Kuwabara snickered and she quickly rounded on him. "I'm talking to you too, moron. I'm just as pissed as Koenma is about this."

As Kuwabara pouted Yusuke said. "Why do they keep going after Tori and Sira anyway? I mean, they don't even have any powers."

"I don't know," Genkai said as she crossed her arms. "And that's why I don't like it."

* * *

From the hill, Socrates had a perfect view of the temple. He smirked as he continued to watch them. "So this is where they're planning to hide." He laughed slightly as he faded back into the shadows. "This is going to be interesting."

* * *

L.A.: Muwahaha! Genkai has appeared! And good old Socrates is back. You thought I forgot him, didn't you? Anywho, can anyone guess where the line Sira says about being scrawny is from? Huh, anyone? Anyone?

Amu: (is burnt) I hurt.

L.A.: What happened to you?

Amu: The shininess of the chapter gave me sun burn.

L.A.: Aw, sorry. Don't worry, you'll live.

Amu: (sarcastically) I appreciate how much you care for my physical health.

L.A.: Aw, don't sulk. There's an apple pie here you can eat.

Amu: (gets really excited at the mention of pie)

L.A.: Anywho, you know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	24. Dealings and Sporks

Dealings and Sporks

* * *

L.A.: So, I've been in exams and sick which is why I haven't updated in awhile.

Amu: Tis sad.

L.A.: However, my next exam isn't until Monday so I got some downtime to write.

Amu: Which means I get more attention. Yeah!

L.A.: Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Oh, and in case you don't know: Kata: a Japanese word describing detailed choreographed patterns of movements practiced either solo or in pairs. Hopefully, you won't be confused when it pops up.

Destiny921: Thanks for the review! Hopefully I'll be able to write longer chapters soon.

MagicAnimeGirl: Thanks for the review! I'm glad that you are enjoying the story and support my characters. Hopefully, I won't fail you!

Out-Of-Control-Authoress: Thanks for the review! I love how everyone assumes that because I said Carl doesn't work for Koenma that makes him evil, but perhaps I just said that to throw you off…hm…

Spidey meets Wizard-Theif: Thanks for the review you two! As for did you jinx yourself? Perhaps…or perhaps not… And yeah! You got it right! It was from Code Lyoko. Odd is flippin' amazing!

Littlekawaiifirefox: Thanks for the reviews! Hopefully you will like this chapter as well.

UpperClassK9: Thanks for the review! Yeah, fanfiction keeps changing which gets so frustrating. As for Yusuke and Kuwabara, the reason why there hasn't been much fighting between the two is because I really haven't been focusing on them. I'll try to work on it though.

PinkxXxPoisonxXxLemonade: Sorry but I like to tell people thanks so you will get a thank you. Hopefully you won't mind.

Kitsunkuruoshii: Thanks for the review! Hope you will enjoy the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did then I wouldn't have to take these evil exams…

* * *

Viper hissed as his tail twitched with annoyance. He hated that he had to appear before the others as a failure. Not only had he let the two girls escape but also he had lost their location. Failure was not tolerated. However, it seemed the leader had given him one last chance to redeem himself. A chance, he couldn't afford to miss.

"So, I heard you failed," a voice said from behind him.

Viper turned to see Socrates leaning against a pillar looking smug. "Where have you been?" He asked. "The leader hassss been getting annoyed with your consssstant dissssapeareancesssss."

Socrates rolled his eyes. "Please, he can be as angry as he wants. At least, I'm contributing to our cause."

Viper frowned. "What do you mean?"

Socrates shrugged. "I happened to know where the two girls have been moved to."

"Ssso," Viper said, "Why don't you get them yoursssself?"

"I thought I'd give you the chance," Socrates said as he pushed himself off the pillar. "In exchange for a favor."

Viper narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What favor?"

"We don't tell the leader that we know the girls' whereabouts until after we catch them," Socrates said, "When we catch them, you will give me a little alone time with Sira…"

"The leader wantsss both girlssss alive," Viper said as he crossed his arms.

"And she will be given to him alive," Socrates said, "but only after I have some time alone with her. Also, I want the privilege to kill Hiei." He held out his hand. "So, do we have a deal?"

Viper studied him for a moment before shaking his hand. "Fine, we have a deal, but we will tell the leader asss sssoon asss we can."

"But of course," Socrates said as they began to walk away. "We _must_ please the leader."

Once they were out of sight, a figure materialized from the shadows. "So, there are deals going behind the leader's back" she said, her voice sounded hauntingly beautiful. "This is going to be interesting."

* * *

"So, I'm hungry," Sira said for the fifth time that hour. It had been two days since they had arrived at Genkai's. Most of the time was spent in their room. The only time they left was to make a break for the kitchen in the middle of the night for food.

Tori's eye twitched as she lay sprawled out on her bed. "Then go get something."

"I can't," Sira whined. "If I leave the sanctity of this room then I might get murdered by Genkai."

"Well I'm sure as hell not leaving," Tori said, "She's way too intense for me."

They were silent for a few minutes. The only sound was Haku's leg twitching as he slept.

"So, I'm still hungry," Sira said.

Tori let out a groan as she sat up. "Sira, you may be my best friend but if you keep saying I'm hungry then you won't have to worry about Genkai murdering you because I will."

Sira frowned. "Somebody's touchy."

A knock on the door caused both girls to shriek. The sound woke Haku up and sent him tumbling to the floor.

The door opened a crack as Botan stuck her head in, "Relax, it's just me."

"Hi Botan," Tori said as she recovered.

"Did you bring any food?" Sira asked.

Haku shot Botan a glare before hopping back up on the bed next to Sira.

"No," Botan said as she shook her head as she entered the room. "I heard from Genkai that you two haven't left your room since you got here."

Both girls nodded.

"Why?" Botan asked.

"Because Genkai scares us," Tori said.

"We've seen what she can do," Sira added, "She's a total badass who can murder us in our sleep."

Botan laughed. "Look she may seem tough but she really isn't as scary as she seems. She can sometimes be a real softy."

Tori and Sira looked at her, unconvinced.

"I'm serious!"

"We believe you," Tori said sarcastically.

"And Hiei wears a pink dress and has a pet fish named Fluffy," Sira added.

Botan let out a sigh. "Okay, that's it, you two are coming with me."

Before either one could protest, Botan was dragging them out of the room with Haku trotting happily behind.

"Let us go back to our room," Tori begged. "It's safe there."

Botan shook her head as she said cheerfully, "No, you two need a little fresh air. It will be good for you."

Once they stepped outside, Sira shielded her eyes. "Ah, the light! It burns!"

"You're not a vampire," Botan said.

"I don't care," Sira said, "I don't like it. I want my room!"

"Oh, will you two relax," Botan said, "I have a surprise for you." With a huge grin, she led them around the corner.

Standing there was none other than Yukina.

"Hey!" She said with a polite smile.

"YUKINA!" Sira and Tori yelled as they tackled the ice apparition.

She laughed as she hugged them back. "It's good to see you too. Koenma thought it would be a good idea if I lived with you two until you settle in."

"Speaking of Koenma," Sira said as she turned back towards Botan. "Did he get our job situation settled?"

Botan nodded. "Yeah, he told your bosses that you were taking a leave of absence due to illness."

Sira raised an eyebrow. "And he bought it?"

Botan grinned. "Koenma can be very _persuasive _sometimes."

Tori shook her head. "I don't even want to know what that means."

* * *

Over the next few days, Yukina helped the two girls become acclimated with the temple. They still tried to avoid Genkai as much as possible. Genkai didn't seem to mind since she didn't even make an effort to hold a conversation with them.

On the weekend, Kuwabara, Kurama, Yusuke, and even Hiei came over to the temple to train. Tori spent most of her time in the kitchen. Her excuse was that she wanted to learn how to cook from Yukina.

Sira was pretty sure there was another reason but she didn't push the issue. Instead, she found herself wandering lazily around the temple. Haku followed behind her, pleased with the new scents and sights.

She eventually found herself wandering towards where the guys were training. Kuwabara and Yusuke were sparring, Kurama was nowhere in sight, and Hiei was practicing katas…shirtless.

Sira found herself unable to look away. He had well developed muscles and six pack that seemed to glide through the movements with ease and preciseness. There was almost an elegant quality in the way that he moved that made her wish she could mimic them.

Hiei stopped in the midst of a kata and raised an eyebrow at her.

It was at that point that Sira realized that she had been gaping at him for five minutes.

Her face turned bright red as she promptly turned away. _I am such a creeper!_ She thought as she began to briskly walk away.

Kuwabara stopped in the midst of his fight and yelled. "Hey Sira, where are you going?"

"Away," She said as she practically ran towards the kitchen. Haku followed, barking with concern.

Once there, she began to search the kitchen.

Tori watched her friend in concern. She was walking around rigidly and her left eye was twitching. "Uh, Sira?" She asked. "What are you doing?"

"Must…spork…eyes…out."

Tori winced. "Ouch, that's sound painful. Why do you need to do that?"

"They betrayed me!"

Tori and Yukina traded glances before Tori walked over towards Sira and steered her towards the door. "Um, Sira, I think you need to take a walk. Clear your mind so that you won't go through with the sporking your eyes out idea."

"No I'm serious," Sira said, "Who needs eyes when you have four other senses that won't betray you."

"Take a walk," Tori said as she shoved her out of the kitchen.

"No one understands!" Sira shot them a glare before storming outside once more. After a few minutes, she cooled off a little. She found herself thinking back to what had happen. The image of a shirtless Hiei flashed in her head and she felt her cheeks heating up. She quickly shook at her head. "This is ridiculous. The guy's sort of nice to you once, you see him shirtless and all the sudden you're crushing on him." Her eyes widened in horror. "I can't crush on Hiei. He's evil!" She kicked a rock to emphasize her point. A sharp pain rushed through her foot. "MOTHER TRUCKER!" She yelled as she grabbed her foot and began to hop around. When the pain subsided, she let out a sigh. "I am pathetic." With another sigh, she began to wander away.

Haku cocked his head as he watched her walk away. Suddenly a smile appeared on his face. With an excited yip he ran off in the opposite direction.

* * *

L.A.: So the Mother Trucker comes from one of my friends who likes to say that all the time. I just had to use it because I find it hilarious.

Amu: Haku is up to something…

L.A.: Of course, though it should be interesting. Anyway you know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	25. Confusion and Drama Ensue

Confusion and Drama Ensue

* * *

L.A.: Hello everyone!

Amu: Exams are over finally!

L.A.: Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Out-Of-Control-Authoress: Thanks for the review! Here's the next chapter for you to scold Haku.

UpperClassK9: Thanks for the review! Heh, it's hard to describe Hiei. Hiei is Hiei. There's not any other way to say it.

Spidey meets Wizard-Theif: Thanks for the review you two! Yeah, I'm not sure if Genkai has sporks. That's probably why she couldn't find anything.

firefairy2917: Thanks for a review! I'm so glad that Hiei isn't ooc. It's really hard trying to work with him.

MagicAnimeGirl: Thanks for a review! Yep, exams are done finally! I'm so glad. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Valinor's Twilight: Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you are enjoying my story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did, then I could write for the rest of my life.

* * *

_The writer turned to the painter and asked_

_Where do you draw the line_

_Between fantasy, reality,_

_And the strange power of time?_

_The painter turned to the writer and said_

_Of that I've still not learned._

_No matter how hard I try_

_The idea of a line is absurd._

_Up above the Argos watched_

_Grinning at what he knew_

"_With that mindset," he whispered_

"_You'll find your answers soon."_

Sira frowned as she stared at what she had written. When she came out to this secluded area near the temple. She brought her marble notebook and pen more for comfort than for writing. Having a pen twirling through her fingers and a notebook resting in her lap always eased her mind.

So, she was surprised when she looked down and saw the poem scrawled before her. Granted, she was known for writing while her mind wandered but she had never written one that was so coherent.

"What's an Argos?" She thought as she stretched up against the tree she was sitting against. She was enjoying the quiet but something was off.

Frowning, she looked around as she tried to figure out what was off. It took her a moment but she finally figured it out. Crossing her arms, she said. "Now, where did Haku go?"

* * *

As Kuwabara dodged one of Yusuke's attacks, he noticed a small black blob sitting off to the side. Looking at it, he realized it was Haku.

"Hey, look it's the mutt," he said.

Haku glared at him and growled.

Kuwabara winced. "See, this is why I like cats. They don't act like they want to kill me every time they see me."

Yusuke laughed. "You know, that spirit beast kind of acts like Hiei around you, doesn't he, Hiei?"

"Hn," Hiei said as he continued to practice. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Haku bark before running off.

That spirit beast was weird. He still couldn't believe that was his spirit beast. The pest was annoyingly happy and constantly wanted to be around that girl all the time.

He frowned. What was the deal with that girl earlier? Granted, he could have read her mind, but for some reason he hesitated. In fact, he had been hesitating a lot around her recently.

His frown deepened as he performed a kick. He shouldn't focus on such annoying thoughts, not if he wanted to perfect his fighting.

Moments later, Hiei, Kuwabara, and Yusuke stopped in mid-step when Haku trotted past them. In his mouth was a five foot wooden pole. He let out a muffled bark before carefully continuing on his journey.

Hiei's eye twitched.

Yusuke frowned. "Okay, that was weird."

* * *

Tori sighed as she finished pouring the drinks.

Yukina had politely asked if she would take the drinks to the guys. Not wanting to arouse suspicion, Tori reluctantly agreed.

The truth was, she was avoiding Kurama. Her infatuation was making it almost impossible for her to hold a decent conversation with him. _And, it doesn't help that he is so damn nice,_ she though bitterly. Really, she needed to find some serious flaw in him so that she could finally tell her stupid hormones to shut up.

She blinked as a hand was waved in front of her face. Glancing to her right, she saw Sira looking at her with one eyebrow raised.

"You okay there?" Sira asked. "You were just standing there with that tray of drinks. I was worried your brain had been eaten or something."

Tori shook her head. "No, I was just thinking." She gave Sira a suspicious look. "I don't have to worry about you sporking your eyes out while I'm gone, do I?"

Sira laughed. "Nah, I forgave them. I can't really write without them can I? Besides…" She trailed off as she stared ahead of them in confusion. Tori followed her gaze and frowned.

Haku was trotting past them with an umbrella in his mouth.

"Is that…" Tori began.

"Uh-huh."

"Is he carrying…"

"Uh-huh."

"Do you…"

Sira shook her head. "I have no idea."

Haku wagged his tail at them. The umbrella promptly flipped open causing him to stagger a bit. He was able to catch his balance however, and was soon trotting away from them.

"Okay," Sira said slowly. "While you go give the guys drinks, I'm going to grab a bite to eat then find out what the hell Haku is up to."

"Good idea," Tori said as she began to walk away.

As she rounded the corner, Kurama was walking towards her. He looked at her in surprise. "Oh, hey."

"Hey-ah!" She yelped as she slipped and fell backwards. Before she could hit the ground though, Kurama caught her. "The tray…" She gasped.

Kurama held out the other hand and caught it with ease.

"Whoa!" Tori said as her eyes widened. "Now that was cool."

Kurama grinned as he pulled her back to her feet. "Thanks."

Realizing how close they were, Tori blushed as she took a couple of steps back. "Uh, sorry."

Kurama frowned. "For what?"

"I-it's nothing," She stammered. "I just…I've got to go." She quickly ran away from him.

"Tori wait!" Kurama was about to go after her when Haku came trotting past him carrying a rubber ducky. He quickly shook his head and placed the tray of drinks to the side before running after Tori.

After running for ten minutes, Tori bent over to catch her breath. The sound of a branch cracking caused her to look up. Standing sheepishly before her was Carl.

"YOU!" she said as she took a couple of steps back.

"You don't look that happy to see me," Carl said.

"That's because I don't know what to think of you," Tori said suspiciously. "I know for a fact that you don't work for Koenma."

Carl frowned. "I never told you I did."

"Then, who do you work for?" Tori asked, "Because right now, I believing you are the snitch."

"I'm not the snitch," Carl insisted. "Look, I can't tell you who I work for but I can tell you that I'm not the bad guy."

Tori sighed. "Yeah, whatever," She held up her finger. "Until you tell me who you work for. I don't want you anywhere near me."

"B-but," Carl protested.

"Bye Carl," Tori said as she walked off.

"You can't go!" He said frantically. "You'll get in trouble." She ignored him as she continued to walk away.

Carl sighed. "Oh this is bad. The boss is going to be angry."

* * *

L.A.: And I'll end there for certain reasons (grins mischievously)

Amu: What the heck is Haku making?

L.A.: (shrugs) Who knows, but I bet it will be interesting.

Amu: Oh, and the poem. It's not random.

L.A.: (nods) Yep, it's important. Anyway, you guys know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	26. Choices

Choices

* * *

L.A.: Hello everyone! I hope you are doing well.

Amu: (is glaring at L.A.)

L.A.: Please excuse Amu. She is upset that I'll be in Australia for the month of January for my Aboriginal studies course.

Amu: Yeah, and you'll have no internet access and you're leaving me! (sulks in corner)

L.A.: That is true. I'm not going to have internet access so I won't be able to update my stories for the month of January. (sighs) Anywho, I made this chapter especially long so that hopefully you'll forgive me.

Out-Of-Control-Authoress: Thanks for the review! I guess now you can scold Haku. Though you might not want to at the end of the chapter…

Lokelani87: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you think my poem is cool. I was rather proud of it.

Valinor's Twilight: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked it!

Yume Ninja: Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you are enjoying my fic.!

Angel of Randomosity: Thanks for the review! I'm glad that I haven't ceased to amaze you. In regards to Haku's invention, you will find out this chapter. And in regards to Carl's employer, you find out later…

Spidey: Ha, ha, thanks for the extra reviews! W.T. should be proud that you waited.

Firefairy2917: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you loved it. Yeah! You got your friend to love it as well! Thanks so much!

Dreamz15: Thanks for the review! You'll find out Carl's employer in a few chapters.

UpperClassK9: Thanks for the review! Yeah, I wrote the poem. I was rather proud of it so I'm glad you like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I only own the strange imaginings of my mind.

* * *

As she stopped at the top of a hill, Tori finally allowed herself to take a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down. Her problems with Kurama and Carl were sure to make her blood pressure surge sky high.

Stretching her arms, she tried to get her mind off her problems.

"Hey Tori," a voice said causing her to jump.

Glancing back, she saw Alexis standing behind her smiling.

"Um hey," Tori said, frowning, "How did you get here?"

"I came with Keiko," Alexis said. "They said you had wandered off so I came to look for you."

"Oh, okay," She said as she shifted back and forth.

"Are you okay?" Alexis asked.

"I'm fine," Tori said with a hint of irritation. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

"Well, you do seem distracted."

The two stood in silence for a moment.

"Hey, I've got an idea," Alexis said with a grin. "How about we go for a walk? We could both use the exercise and it could help clear your head."

Tori nodded. "You know, that idea doesn't sound have bad."

Still smiling, Alexis and Tori started to walk.

* * *

Sira was beyond mad. She was furious. Patience had never been one of her virtues and after searching for Haku for over an hour she was not only about to kill whoever came up with that clichéd phrase but also beat up the next person who happened to walk near her.

A squeaky sound interrupted her thoughts. Frowning, she turned in the direction of the sound. "Was that a rubber ducky?"

Curious, she followed the sound to a clearing. As she drew closer, she felt her foot catch on something. She let out a yelp as an umbrella flew open near her. The umbrella hit a switch on a container which immediately started to blow a balloon up.

"What the hell?" Sira said as she watched the balloon in confusion. The balloon started to push on a long wooden pole thus forcing it to tip. A bowling ball was released. It rolled down the pole and into a bucket. The added weight caused the bucket to plummet to the ground.

She was so distracted by it that she failed to notice the net that was being pulled up around her until it was too late.

With a loud yelp, she was pulled up into the net and left dangling in the air.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Sira said as she tried to desperately get out of the net. "Why the hell does this stuff keep happening to me?"

A bark caused her to look down. Standing underneath her was Haku. He was panting as he happily wagged his tail.

"Did you do this?" Sira asked.

Haku cocked his head as he stared at her confused.

Sira's eyes narrowed. "Oh, don't give me that. I know you can understand English." She struggled in the net again. "Just get me out of this damn thing!"

Haku let out a bark as he scampered away.

"What the…" She trailed off. Clinching her fists she yelled. "You're a dead dog. You hear me Haku. You are a dead dog!"

* * *

Tori frowned as she took stock of where they were. They were at the edge of Genkai's property where a forest loomed before them. "Um, Alexis?" Tori said. "Maybe we should head back." She turned to walk away. "This place gives me the creeps." She paused and looked back when she noticed Alexis wasn't following her. "Alexis?"

"Why should we leave?" Alexis asked as a sinister grin appeared on her face.

"Yesss," a familiar voice hissed behind Tori. "The party isss jussst getting ssstarted."

Whirling around, she came face to face with Viper. He grinned as he crossed his arms.

"You!" Tori said as she took several steps back.

"Yesss, me," Viper said. "And I sssee you've met my little ssspy."

She looked at Alexis in surprise. "What?"

"Of course," Viper added as he casually strolled over to Alexis and draped his arm over her. "She needed to be brainwashed. You know, she is a total bitch."

"Yeah, I know," Tori said as she quickly glanced behind her.

"No use running," Viper said. "I'd catch you in a heartbeat." He grinned as he extended his hand. "You might as well come with me since no one knows you're here."

"That's what you think," a voice said as the rose whip appeared from the nearby bushes and lashed at Viper's hand. Viper immediately withdrew his hand as he cursed.

Kurama materialized between Tori and Viper. "Of course you had to pick the most remote spot to get in trouble," Kurama snapped at her.

"Geez, no hello?" Tori asked. "No, I'm glad you're not dead?"

He was about to answer when Viper spoke up. "Alright, pretty boy. You want to danssse. Let'sss danssse."

The two immediately began to fight. As she watched them fight, Tori was surprised to see how angry Kurama was. His attacks were still elegant but they held a more dangerous, stronger, quality than usual. It was as if he was striking to kill instead of maim. She was startled when she felt her arm pulled roughly behind her back.

"Did you forget about little old me?" Alexis hissed in her ear.

"You don't want to do this," Tori said as she winced. "We can help you."

Alexis laughed. "Help me?" Her pupil's became slits as her eyes turned a golden color. "Viper is going to give me amazing power. Power that can help me return to my world. All I have to do, is bring Sira and you to him."

"You know what, Alexis," Tori said as she gritted her teeth. "Sira was right, you really are a bitch." With one swift movement, she grabbed a chunk of Alexis' hair and yanked it out.

Alexis let out a howl as she let Tori go. Smiling smugly, Tori stumbled backwards as she let the hair fall out of her hand.

With another howl, Alexis lunged at her causing both girls to fall to the ground. Alexis pinned Tori to the ground as she tried to claw at her face.

Tori was able to get a leg free and kneed Alexis in the groin.

Alexis groaned but didn't stop her attacks.

_Well, that would have worked on a boy, _Tori thought as she was roughly dragged to her feet and forced into a headlock.

"Stop squirming," Alexis said as she tightened her hold on Tori to the point that she felt she couldn't breathe.

"I suggest you let her go before I chop your head off," Kurama said as he glared at Alexis. His rose whip was poised for attack.

Tori wondered briefly what had become of Viper. When she glanced to the right, she saw a carnivorous plant happily chewing at the remains of Viper.

She immediately turned away, already feeling her stomach churn.

Alexis and Kurama stared at each other for a heated moment before she let Tori go and disappeared into the woods.

As Tori gasped for breath, Kurama allowed his rose whip to revert back to its original form.

"Thanks for the help," Tori grinned sheepishly at his calculating stare. "Uh, look I know I was stupid for wandering off so you don't have to tell me. Trust me, I'm already not going to hear the end of it from Sira."

With three steps, Kurama was in front of her, pulling her into his arms. "Don't ever, _ever _do that again," He said as he rested his chin on her head.

Although Tori was surprised by Kurama's sudden mood swing, she couldn't say she wasn't enjoying it. Her nostrils were filled with the sweet smell of roses. Ordinarily, if she knew a guy who smelled of roses she would be slightly weirded out but for some reason the smell fit Kurama. He was gentle like a rose's petals but as dangerous as a rose's thorn.

Tori grinned against his shirt. "I guess Sira's danger prone problem is starting to rub off on me."

She was secretly delighted when she felt him chuckle.

After a few moments, they pulled away. Kurama, however, still kept his hands on her shoulders as he studied her.

"What?" Tori asked curiously.

"Nothing," Kurama said. "I just never noticed how green your eyes were."

Immediately, Tori turned three different shades of red. "Uh," she said as she laughed awkwardly. "Well, they've always been green. I mean, I'm not saying that you can't observe. I'm just saying that they don't change colors. You know, like people with hazel eyes. Sometimes I get confused with people with hazel eyes..." She trailed off as she mentally kicked herself for brainless rambling.

When she risked a glance up at Kurama, she saw that a strange look had fallen over his face. Before she realized what was happening, he leaned in and kissed her.

* * *

Sira sighed as she shifted to a more comfortable position. "Okay, I've been stuck in a net for half an hour that was invented by a wolf puppy." She moaned. "Why am I so pathetic?"

The sound of someone clearing their throat caused her to look down. Hiei and Haku were standing underneath her.

She groaned. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me. You brought _him_! Out of all the people there, you decided to bring him?"

Instead of being angry with her comment, Hiei started to laugh.

Both Sira and Haku were surprised by his behavior. In fact, Haku took a couple steps away from him as a precaution.

"Okay, you're kind of creeping me out with the whole laughing bit," Sira said.

Hiei calmed down for a second as he said. "Only you would be stupid enough to fall in this piece of crap of a trap."

Sira glared at him as she crossed her arms. "Hardy, har, har. Just get me down from here."

Still smirking, Hiei cut the rope. With a yelp, Sira fell to the ground.

A huge gust of wind came out of nowhere and in the blink of an eye, Sira disappeared.

There was a whine, and as Hiei turned around he saw that Haku had disappeared too.

"What the…" He trailed off as a flash of light appeared before him. After it had died down, Hiei saw Haku and Sira trapped in separate cages on opposite sides of the clearing. Hovering above each cage was a five ton block of stone.

Sira let out a groan as she slapped her hand against her forehead. "Not again. What is this? Pick on Sira day?"

A chilling laughter caused all three to look to the right. A woman walked towards them. She had blue tinted skin with long blue hair that fell to her ankles. She wore scantily clad blue clothes and her eyes were bright red.

"Who are you?" Sira asked as she glared at her.

The woman grinned revealing her fangs. "The name's Etheria. I happen to be one of the ones sent to collect you two human girls."

As Hiei drew his sword, Etheria laughed. "You might as well put that away. Unlike my cohorts, I don't like to fight in the general boring way." She floated in the air and crossed her left leg over her right as if she were sitting in a chair. "My way is more entertaining."

Hiei made to lunge for her. "Na-ah-ah," She said as she wagged her finger. "You shouldn't act rashly until you hear what I have to say. After all," she motioned her hand towards Sira and Haky. "I do have the advantage."

Reluctantly, Hiei put his sword away, however, he continued to eye her warily.

"So," Etheria continued cheerfully. "As I said, I do not prefer to play physically with my toys. I'd rather play with their minds. As you see before you, I have an ingenious trap. Hovering over each of my captors is a five ton stone which on impact, will smash your two little friends as flat as pancakes. They will fall so fast that even your speed won't let you get there in time." She grinned. "However, I am in a generous mood at the moment and so, I have decided to give you enough time to save one of your friends." She laughed. "The choice is yours, demon. Save the girl or a piece of your soul."

"What!" Sira said enraged. "That is unfair. I swear, I am going to rip you to shreds."

Etheria ignored her as she smirked at Hiei. "Your time starts." She snapped her fingers. "Now."

With a snap of her fingers, the stones started to fall.

"Damn," Hiei muttered as he sprinted towards them.

Sira quickly curled up in a ball as she closed her eyes. She knew Hiei wasn't going to come for her. After all, why would he choose her when his spirit beast was on the line? _This is going to hurt_, she thought as she waited for the impact.

She was surprised when moments later, she was lifted into the air. She looked up and saw Hiei pulling her away from her trap. "But that means…" she looked back to down to see Haku staring up at them. He let out a whine as he frantically gnawed and dug at his cage. The stone was merely a few feet from him.

She couldn't let this happen. Although Haku was Hiei's spirit beast, he had become a spirit beast for her as well.

"No!" She shouted as her outstretched hand reached towards Haku's direction. And as if by some miracle, time froze. Hiei, Etheria, Haku, the stones, everything froze in time around Sira.

"What in the world?" Sira murmured. She quickly shook herself out of her stupor. She wasn't about to lose the opportunity.

She raced quickly to Haku's cage. To her left, she saw a key lying a few feet away. She quickly unlocked the cage, grabbed Haku, and bolted away from the cage.

A second later, time unfroze as the stones smashed into the now empty cages. Hiei was surprised to see Haku cradled in Sira's arms.

"Hmm," Etheria said as she cocked her head. "That was an interesting development."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Socrates said as he materialized beside Etheria.

"I heard of yours and Viper's little scheme with the other girl and thought I would take part in the festivities." Seeing Socrate's angry expression, she added. "I take it things didn't go as planned?"

"Come on," he growled. "We need to make our report."

A moment later, both vanished.

Hiei turned his attention back to Sira who was busy laughing as Haku licked her face. "How did you get there in time?"

Sira frowned as she looked at him. "I think a time inconsistency must have kicked in. It's strange but it didn't act like it normally did." Her frown turned into a mischievous grin as she walked up to him. "So, why did you choose me?"

"Hn," Hiei said as he turned to walk away.

"Oh come on," she said as she caught up with him. "It's just a simple question."

"I suggest you be quiet if you don't want me to change my mind."

Sira became silent however the grin remained on her face.

Hiei's eye twitched. "Stop looking so damned pleased about yourself."

Haku snuggled in her arms as his eyelids fluttered closed. Obviously, it had been a tough day for him. Sira sighed as she thought back to what Etheria and Socrates had been talking about. _I hope you're okay, Tori_.

* * *

L.A.: (winces) Okay, so it's kind of a cliffhanger even though I didn't attend to do that.

Amu: Eh, you can't help it. You are addicted to it.

L.A.: So, because I'm bored I've decided to do a poll.

Amu: On the wonderful me!

L.A.: So, it seems some people don't really know who Amu is.

Amu: (grins mysteriously)

L.A.: So, I put a poll on my profile where you tell me who she is.

Amu: And don't cheat.

L.A.: So, if you're bored check it out.

Amu: Alright, so you know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	27. Hallmark Moments and Strange Talks

Hallmark Moments and Strange Talks

* * *

L.A.: Waaah! I'm back!

Amu: From Australia. Where it's nice and warm (sighs) I wish it were warm here…

L.A.: It was so amazing. I got to pet kangaroos, and koalas, and black swans. Also, I got to hang out with Aboriginal tribes.

Amu: What she won't tell you is how she was attacked by a goat there.

L.A.: (glares at Amu) What Amu won't tell you is that she had a boyfriend there. A dingo named Boomer.

Amu: Did not!

L.A.: Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!

ai12love: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like it so far. As for the romance…you'll have to wait and see.

UpperClassK9: Thanks for the review! I guess I could have put him with someone from the series but everyone is taken except Botan and Shizuru (shivers) I love them but I just can't see them in any relationship.

Out-Of-Control-Authoress: Thanks for the review! Yeah! I'm glad you liked it. As for the reaction, you get to find out this chapter…a month later…sorry about that.

Yume Ninja: Thanks for the review! Yeah, it has been a long time coming. Hope you like this chapter!

Dreamz15: Thanks for the review! I am updating as you requested. Hope you like it!

KristyHimura: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like it!

Valinor's Twilight: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like it!

Spidey meets Wizard-Theif: Thanks for the review you two! Glad you figured it out W.T. And Spidey, please don't die like you said you might in your review. That would be sad.

Angel of Randomosity: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked it!

Jigga_Who: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like it! And, just as you said I had a great tussle with the koala bears. They're so cute!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. Never have and probably never will.

* * *

It took Tori a moment or two before she realized what was happening. Horror filled her as she pulled away. How could she be so stupid? Getting involved with someone from another dimension let alone one who happens to be a character from an anime was something she didn't want to do.

"Tori?' Kurama asked worriedly.

She glanced up at him. His expression was veiled but then again, you never could tell what Kurama was thinking unless he wanted you to. That was one of the qualities she found fascinating.

She quickly shook her head. There was no sense thinking like that. She had to end this before it could begin. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Kurama, you know we can't."

"Tori…" He began.

"Just let me talk," She bit back the tears she could already feel forming in her eyes. "As clichéd as this sounds, we come from different worlds, literally." Her gaze drifted towards the ground. "Why start something we know won't work out."

Kurama frowned. "Tori can't you consider…"

"It's better, this way. You know it." She quickly turned away from him. "Thanks for saving me." She quickly ran off before he could talk her out of it.

Everything was blurry as she ran. She didn't really care though. All she wanted to do was get to her room. Before she realized it, she was back in her room. She quickly threw herself on her bed, allowing herself to succumb to her tears.

* * *

Sira let out a frustrated sigh as she stared down at Haku. Although the spirit beast was adorable when he slept he was very heavy to carry. "When you wake up," Sira said as she entered her room. "I'm putting you on a diet." As she dropped Haku on her bed, she heard a slight gasp behind her. Whirling around, she saw Tori sitting on her bed, trying to hide her tear-stained face behind a pillow.

"Tori," She said in alarm as she quickly sat down beside her. "Are you okay? Whose butt do I have to kick?"

"It's fine," Tori hiccupped. "I'm just not feeling well."

Sira raised an eyebrow. "That's bull and you know it." Tori didn't say anything. She just continued to focus all of her attention on the pillow. Sira sighed. "But, if you don't feel like talking now then fine." She hugged her. "Just know I'm here for you."

They sat like that for a couple of minutes.

"You know, this could be a classic Hallmark card moment," Sira said. "Too bad we don't have a camera."

Tori giggled slightly at this.

* * *

An hour later, after Tori had completely calmed herself down, Sira offered to scrounge up some food from the kitchen. "Crying can work up an appetite," Sira had said. "And I know the perfect comfort food to eat."

Tori knew it was stupid to try and tell Sira no when she was in one of her moods, so, instead, Tori decided to wander outside. She rubbed her arm as she gazed out into the scenery. Movement to her right caused her to pause. Staring hard, she realized that it was a little silver fox. It looked rather confused as it surveyed its surroundings. She watched as it took two steps forwards, stopped, and looked around. It then took three steps backwards, stopped, and looked around again. It took four steps forward and promptly fell over.

"What the hell?" Sira said, causing Tori to start. She didn't even hear Sira come up. "Is it stupid?"

"It might be hurt," Tori said as she cautiously approached the fox who was currently flapping its legs around in frustration.

"I'd be careful," Sira said as she followed. "That thing could have rabies."

Tori ignored her as she bent down near the fox. "Hello there?" She cooed. "Are you alright?"

The fox promptly flipped itself upright. It stared at her with big silver eyes.

"Creeper," Sira muttered.

"Sira," Tori shot her a dirty look before turning her attention back to the fox. "It's okay little fella. I'm not going to hurt you."

The fox studied her for a moment more before jumping into her lap. She was startled and fell on her rear with a loud oof! The fox cocked its head to one side as if it were listening for something. After a moment, it bristled up and said proudly. "Nuuuuulooooocccckkkk!"

Tori laughed. "Looks like I made a new friend." She reached out and began to stroke its fur. She was surprised at how soft it felt. "What do you think I should name him?"

"How about brain dead?" Sira asked with arms crossed.

The fox abruptly turned towards Sira and stared at her unblinking.

"Not funny," Tori tapped her finger against her temple. "I know what about Akira."

Sira laughed. "You're implying that he's smart."

Tori looked at the fox. "Well, what do you think?"

The fox looked at her and wagged his tail. "Nuuuulooocccck!"

Tori shrugged. "Well, looks like you're overruled."

Sira threw her hands up in defeat. "Fine, bring the creepy fox in. See what I care!"

Scooping up Akira, Tori followed Sira into the house. As she did, she tried to ignore thoughts that revolved around another fox.

* * *

With arms crossed, Etheria leaned against a pillar and watched the screen before her. The leader had been watching the encounter she had had with Sira and Hiei over and over again. It was rather curious to watch. One second, Sira was on one side of the screen and the next second she was on the other with that spirit beast in her arms. It wasn't humanly possible yet she had somehow accomplished it.

She was startled from her thoughts by the low growl from the leader. "We need to catch them now."

Etheria sighed. "I'm trying as best as I can. Seeing as how the others are dead and Socrates has gone missing again, I'm kind of limited."

"Don't worry about Socrates," he said. "Let him do what he wants. For now, he doesn't concern me."

She perked up. "Oh, sounds like you've got a plan."

"Indeed I do," he said as he pressed a button. The screen abruptly changed showing Tori and Kurama standing together. "It seems the fox demon and the human girl have affections for each other but do not want to act upon them."

Etheria's eyes flicked to the screen where she saw Tori running away from Kurama with tears in her eyes.

"I know that you have a talent for messing with emotions," he continued. "So, I want you to use it on them."

She grinned. "Sounds like fun." She paused before continuing. "But what about the other girl?"

The screen switched back to Sira who looked slightly annoyed at the wolf pup sprawled out on her bed.

"She hasn't noticed yet which is good," he said. "The time distortion could have been coincidence…" Red eyes turned to stare at her. "However, we mustn't let this happen again. They are too close to knowing the truth."

* * *

L.A.: (looks around nervously) So yeah, that's the chapter. Please don't kill me (whimpers)

Amu: Ha, ha, sucks for you!

L.A.: one word. Boomer

Amu: (glares)

L.A.: Anyway, two things. One Akira is japanese for intelligent. Second, the poll will remain up because I'm hoping to have more people vote. Next time I will reveal the results. (looks around nervously) Okay, so I'm going to go hide now from the random implements of destruction that are going to be thrown at me. So, bye! (runs and hides)

Amu: (looks around) Um… I guess I'll end this then. You know what to do READ and REVIEW! See you later!


	28. There are Nargals Hiding Under My Bed

Nargals Under My Bed

* * *

L.A.: So, I know, I've been gone for awhile. School is killing me.

Amu: You've been slacking on your authoress duties.

L.A.: Not only that, but apparently the last time I updated Pencils and Paintbrushes turned a year old.

Amu: You are horrible.

L.A.: I guess I should do something special for it but right now I'm too tired.

Amu: Anyway, on to the story.

Spidey meets Wizard-Theif: Thanks for the review you two. You'll see a little of Kurama's side this chapter to answer your question. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Valinor's Twilight: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you are enjoying it.

heavensblackcat: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you are enjoying it.

LoliPear: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you are enjoying it.

Out-Of-Control-Authoress: Thanks for the review! Everything will probably still get weirder before it become clearer. Anyway, hope you enjoy it.

Yume Ninja: Thanks for the review! Perhaps, there a plot twist… It should be interesting.

UpperClassK9: Thanks for the review! Is the fox Kurama? You will see.

PinkxXxPoisonxXxLemonade: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you are enjoying it.

Angel of Randomosity: Thanks for the review! Oh, is that your name? That's exciting.

ladykind: Thanks for review! I'm glad you are enjoying it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did then I could have a life.

* * *

"There are nargals under my bed," Sira announced the next morning when she entered the living room. Yusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara turned to her in confusion

"What?" Kuwabara said.

"There are nargals living under my bed," she said again as she lifted up a sock. "They are the reason why I can only find one sock."

"Or," Tori called from the kitchen. "It could be because you're messy."

Sira stuck her tongue out. "I am not messy."

"It looks like a tornado threw up on your side," Tori said as she entered the room. She avoided looking at Kurama.

Sira rolled her eyes. "Whatever, the fact remains that this interferes with my endeavors."

Haku came sneaking out of the bedroom. He paused mid-stride as he sniffed the air. With a howl, he charged into the kitchen. There was the sound of kitchen ware clattering before Akira came running out of the kitchen. Haku was right on his heels snarling and howling.

Tori quickly scooped Akira up as she glared at Haku. "Haku, quit that. Akira is a friend."

"See," Sira said as she pointed at Akira accusingly. "Haku doesn't like him either."

"That's probably because you don't like him."

Sira shrugged. "Whatever," She dropped her sock as she skipped to the kitchen. "I'm getting ice cream."

"It's still morning," Yusuke pointed out.

Sira nodded. "Exactly."

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "That didn't even make sense!"

Sira ignored him as she reached into the freezer and grabbed the pint of chocolate ice cream. With spoon in hand, she lazily walked outside with Haku trailing after her.

She frowned as she noticed someone standing in the front yard.

There was a little boy with black hair and a star next to his eye. He was casually fiddling with a yoyo.

She glanced to her right and saw Hiei walking up. "There's a little man in our front yard," She said as she pointed to the boy in front of her.

The boy glared. "I am not little."

"He's even shorter than you," she said the Hiei.

"Hn," Hiei said as he crossed his arms.

"Excuse her," Tori said as she appeared beside her. "Apparently she never learned to pick up on social cues."

"What?" Sira said, her mouth full of ice cream.

"Hey Rinku," Yusuke said as he walked out. "What are you doing here?"

"Koenma sent me," Rinku said as he held up an envelope. "He wanted me to give this to you guys."

"Oh," Kuwabara said with a grin, "So now your Koenma's errand boys?"

"No," Rinku glared at him as he sent a yo yo hurling at them. "I'm doing this because I owed him one."

"Since when did my home become a meeting ground for you idiots," Genkai said.

Sira and Tori jumped at the sight of her.

"I forgot she lived here," Sira whispered.

Genkai shot her a glare. "I heard that."

"Um, I'm going inside," Sira said as she grabbed Tori's hand and dragged her. "Come with me Tori."

Slowly, they all filed in after them until Kurama and Akira were left outside. The little fox was staring at Kurama with owlish eyes.

It was a little unnerving. Although he had not voiced his opinions, he too did not trust the strange fox. "Who are you?" He said, not really expecting an answer.

He was surprised when he saw Akira grin.

"I am me," Akira whispered. "I was born from misery. Where you were I am instead. Making you wish that you were dead."

"What?"

Akira just laughed as he ran into the temple.

"What's your problem, fox?" a voice said behind Kurama.

He looked to see Hiei staring at him.

"Did you hear it?"

"The little fox?" Hiei shook his head. "Why is he important?"

"I must of imagined it. " He sighed. "I don't trust him," Kurama said as he leaned against the temple. "His energy seems off."

"Hn," Hiei said. "I would be more worried about your current situation."

Kurama raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"The girl, Tori," Hiei said. "You've grown too attached to her."

"I have not forgotten our mission," Kurama said. "I just want to make sure she is safe."

"Make sure it stays that way," Hiei said as he turned to leave. "You should remember that they will go back to their world eventually."

"Then you should be careful as well," Kurama said. "After all, Haku seems really fond of her."

"Hn," Hiei said before he flitted away.

* * *

As Rinku chatted away with the rest of the Yu Yu gang, Sira used the opportunity to escape and have one of her walks. She had found that having these short walks was a great way to sort through stories ideas and her own thoughts. It was like taking a shower without getting wet.

As she was about to round the corner, she heard someone talking.

"I have found them, my liege… No, they do not know yet, I'm being a tease."

There was a pause before the voice continued. "I will keep an eye on them but we don't have much time. If we don't hurry soon the world's stake will be on the line."

She rounded the corner but all she saw was Akira.

He looked at her owlishly from his perch on a rock.

"What are you doing here by yourself?" she asked.

"Nuuuulaaaaak" He yawned as he hopped down and trotted past her.

"What a weird fox," Sira said as she looked around. "I wonder who spoke earlier though."

* * *

L.A.: So, it's probably going to get weirder after this before it gets clearer.

Amu: You've been watching way too many Lost episodes.

L.A.: Anyway, the poll results. 35% said Amu is a muse. 28% said she was my best friend. 21% said she was a co-author. 7% said she was a character from a previous story and 7% said she was ruler of the world.

Amu: Who ever said I was the ruler of the world is now on my totally awesome people list.

L.A.: Anyway, the correct answer is that she is a muse, so now you know.

Amu: And in honor of this/she just made it up when she was sick. Simple Musings is up. If you're bored and want to be entertained read it.

L.A.: Anyway, tell me what you think!


	29. Propositions

Propositions

* * *

L.A.: (grins sheepishly) Er, so yeah. I have been gone awhile.

Amu: (glances out window) You know, there are people with pitchforks and torches outside our house.

L.A.: heh, heh, sorry for the long delay. A lot of stuff happened which I'd rather not get into. On the bright side, this entire time hasn't been a waste.

Amu: Yesh, she is in a fiction class.

L.A.: Where I have to write stories, get them ripped apart in workshop, then come out feeling like a failure in life.

Amu: Way off topic.

L.A.: (clears throat) But it is making me a better writer. (stands proudly) I think…

Out-Of-Control-Authoress: Thanks for the review. Poor Akira. He's just arrive and he's receiving hate mail.

PinkxXxPoisonxXxLemonade: Thanks for the review. Amu says hi to you and your muse as well. I don't let her talk in these because she rambles on and on about stuff that doesn't pertain to anything and (gets death glare from Amu) I'm just going to stop now.

Spidey meets Wizard-Theif: Thanks for the review, you two. Yeah, Kurama was supposed to be hinting that he knew. Ha, I had kind of forgotten that there was a Tori in Warrior Pigeon, nice W.T. Aw, Akira got a death threat but he is such a cute little fox. (Hugs Akira. Akira stares at her creepily) Er, never mind. You're a creeper.

Angel of Randomosity: Thanks for the review. Eh, nargals never let anyone know about their world domination schemes. I've tried to crash their meetings but they always seem to elude me. Probably because they keep stealing my socks…

UpperClassK9: Thanks for the review. Yeah, they aren't very good yu yu fans but this is Sira and Tori we are talking about. Tori just wasn't paying attention while Sira was being… Sira.

Heavensblackcat: Thanks for the review. Yeah Akira rhymes. He's creepy like that.

Yume ninja: Thanks for the review. Nargals and Luna Lovegood are what make Harry Potter amazing. I'm excluding the fact that the series is called Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood doesn't come till later books, of course.

Valinor's Twilight: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you are enjoying it.

Animegirl2961: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you like the story so far.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did there would be Nargals…enough said.

* * *

Sira sighed as she found herself on the outskirts of the temple. She had been daydreaming so much that she failed to notice how far away she gotten.

_I'm such a space case today, _she thought as she leaned against a tree.

"Do you always walk around with that idiotic expression on your face?" A voice asked from above her.

She glanced up and smirked. "Well, hello to you too, Hiei." She felt a prick in her neck and slapped it. "Stupid mosquitoes. I can't even escape them in this world."

"Where's the runt?" Hiei asked from his perch.

Sira leaned against the tree again. "You mean, _your_ spirit beast? Probably stalking Akira. He really doesn't trust him." She glanced back up at Hiei. "Does that mean that you don't trust Akira either?"

"I don't trust anyone," Hiei said as he hopped down and landed next to her.

"Aw, you have trust issues," Sira said. "And here I thought we were best friends." Sira frowned as she had a sudden sense of vertigo.

"That's strange," she said as she stumbled forward.

She felt a hand on her shoulder steadying her. Her ears were pounding as her vision started to tunnel.

Moments later, she woke up again face first in the dirt.

She quickly sat up and spat out dirt. "Thanks a lot Hiei." She frowned when she noticed she was alone.

"He has trust issues but he sure as hell doesn't have abandonment issues," Sira said angrily.

* * *

Tori found herself dragging her gaze once again away from Kurama. For the past hour, Rinku had been talking about what was happening in Makai.

She had tried to listen but her mind kept wandering back to Kurama. She was slightly annoyed with the fact that he seemed completely fine with staying friends. Granted, it was her own fault for saying that they should be friends but he seemed to have given up so easily.

Her gaze had wandered towards him again and this time he caught her looking at him.

Tori excused herself with Akira quietly trotting after her. She had to get her mind off her problems. She sighed as she glanced back at Akira. "We better go find Sira. Knowing her, she probably will get in trouble."

* * *

From a nearby tree, Etheria watched. "Phase 1 complete," she said with a grin. "On with phase 2." She giggled. "Let the fun begin."

* * *

Sira let out a groan as she finally reached the temple. It felt like it had taken forever to get back. Plus, she had been creeped out by the fact that she hadn't heard any natural sounds. Also, the sky had turned a purple hue which she was pretty sure wasn't normal.

As she went to open the door, the sound of a heart monitor reached her ears. She whirled around and the sound disappeared.

"That was…weird," she said as she entered the temple.

All the lights were off. The only sound she heard was the creaking of the floor boards.

"Hello?" Sira called as she walked down the hallway. "Anybody here?"

As she entered the nearest room, she was greeted by the sound of static.

"They say that when one door closes another one opens," a voice said.

Sira whirled around and saw a hooded figure sitting in a chair.

"What happens," the hooded figure continued. "if that other door is locked?"

Sira frowned as she crossed her arms. "Who are you?"

* * *

"Sira!" Tori called as she wandered aimlessly around the temple grounds.

"Nulaaak!" Akira said.

Tori tapped her foot impatiently. "Where did that girl go?"

"Are you lost?" a sinister yet familiar voice said.

Etheria stood before them as mist bellowed around them.

Akira growled as he pawed the ground.

Etheria frowned at him. "I didn't expect to see your kind around here."

"What do you want?" Tori said with a glare.

Etheria smiled at her. "I just wanted to talk." She flung her hand up nonchalantly. "You know, let bygones be bygones and all that good stuff."

Tori laughed. "Like I would trust you."

Etheria sighed. "Yes, I guess you wouldn't. Why would you care when you have such a hunk of a fox demon looking after you."

Tori wavered slightly at the mention of Kurama.

"I mean, the way he protects you," Etheria continued, "It makes me jealous. I wish I had a love like that." She paused as she glanced back at Tori. "But from your expression, things aren't going so well in the love department."

"Leave me alone," Tori said as she turned away from her, trying to fight back the sudden tears that were forming in her eyes.

"Aw you poor thing," Etheria said as she walked gracefully toward her. "You're in love aren't you? But the truth is you two can never be together."

She felt a pain in her chest as soon as she heard the words. She was unable to stop the few tears that ran down her cheek. The mist seemed to grow thicker around them.

Akira spat at Etheria as he put his back up against Tori.

"It must hurt so much," Etheria said. "Knowing that. But, I can help you."

"Help me?" Tori said, her tongue feeling thick in her mouth.

"Yes, I can make all those bad feelings go away." Etheria leaned towards her ear and whispered. "I can erase your feelings of love for him. All you have to do is say yes."

* * *

Sira glared at the hooded figure before her. "Do you think you can scare me with the hooded cloak trick? I know you aren't a grim reaper. I'm friends with one."

"I never said I was," the figure stood up. "I'm a dream reaper. You see me as your subconscious sees me."

Sira frowned. "So, I'm dreaming?"

"Only you know that," the figure said as it floated across the room. "Don't you have a more important question to ask?"

Sira nodded. "Yeah, I do. Why are you here?"

A pair of red slit eyes stared out from the hood. "A good question. Your answer: I'm here to take you home."

* * *

L.A.: So yeah, this will make sense, I promise. I know this chapter is weird and the next chapter will be weird as well. Gah! Lost withdrawals. (huddles in corner)

Amu: Lost is a good series. If you haven't watched it, go buy the first season and start. Do it ( tries to hypnotize audience) do it now.

L.A.: (appears out of nowhere) Gah! I need to write the next chapter now! I have too many ideas. (precedes to bang head into wall)

Amu: I can't wait till Sunday. That's when L.A. can eat potato chips, ice cream, and watch the fourth season of Lost. Then she'll be normal. (watches L.A.) I think.

L.A.: Anywho, you know what to do. Read and review!

Amu: You rhymed. Evil!!!!!!!!!


	30. Decisions

Decisions

* * *

L.A.: Because I love you all and feel horrible about the long delay. I bring you the new chappie!

Amu: It's so shiny… and long…

L.A.: Yesh, it is amazing. I didn't write an extremely short chapter. Rejoice!

Spidey meets Wizard-Theif: Thanks for the review, you two. WT, are you hinting that you want Kurama to have a spirit beast? Ha, you will find out later who Akira is and if he is evil. And Spidey, you're right. The reaper is kind of like Creed. Great, my subconscious tricked me once again into using a character from another story.

Valinor's Twilight: Thanks for the review! I'm glad that you are enjoying it.

Mēïkin: Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you are enjoying it. Yeah, I tend to like cliffies. They can be annoying but they keep you interested, right?

UpperClassK9: Thanks for the review! Akira, Akira. Who knows who Akira is? Oh, right I'm supposed to. (shifty eyes) Anyway, those are two logical possibilities or they could simply distrust them or a combination of both.

Out-Of-Control-Authoress: Thanks for the review! I'm glad that although it was weird, it was still cool. I updated faster though. Aren't you proud?

Michelle: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you are enjoying it.

Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't sue. (is too lazy to come up with anything witty)

* * *

Words could not describe how Sira was feeling right now. She was stunned to say the least. Here she was standing with a…dream reaper as it called itself and given the possibility to go home yet she found herself hesitant and unsure.

"This isn't real," Sira said as she took a step back. "You're just a dream. A figment of my imagination."

The reaper chuckled at this. "You want to talk about dreams." It motioned to the room. "Take a look around you."

Sira frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You didn't honestly believe you were in the yu yu hakusho world, did you?" She saw a flash of razor sharp teeth as the creature continued. "You remember the mall, don't you? Well, you were in an accident. You are currently in the hospital and have been in a coma for two months."

She was dully aware of the heart monitor once more.

"This world, this yu yu hakusho world, is something your mind created" The reaper said. "None of it is real."

"But how are you here?" Sira asked.

"I'm not," the reaper said. "I'm just the part of you that wants to wake up already." It drifted closer to her. "So why don't you wake up?"

* * *

In the back of Tori's mind, she knew she was in danger. This mist that appeared out of nowhere seemed to be confusing her. Even so, she found herself seriously considering Etheria's offer. It would be nice to forget the pain. Forget that she actually fell in love with a character from an anime.

"Tori you must listen to me," a voice called out to her. "This creature isn't what she seems."

_But I don't want to be here anymore_, Tori thought. _Maybe I should let it all go. _The mist whipped up around her. It wrapped around her ankles and forced its way down her mouth. _Maybe I should just let myself fade away._

A sharp pain in her ankle snapped her out of her stupor. Looking down, she saw Akira biting her.

"What are you doing?" Tori asked. Her eyes widened as she realized the predicament she was in. "What am I doing?"

"Well," Etheria said as she materialized through the midst. "Have you decided?"

"Yeah," Tori said as she scooped up Akira. "I'm getting the hell away from you."

Etheria's smile wavered. "What?"

"I don't know what this mist is but obviously you're using it to effect my judgment." Tori smirked. "But, it's not going to work on me."

Etheria let out an inhuman growl as her face contorted with anger. "You think you're so smart? You're by yourself. Just try and stop me."

* * *

"But how can this be?" Sira said. "With everything that has happened and Tori…"

"Is a figment of the real Tori," the Reaper said. "You wanted a friend, so you imagined her here."

Sira still couldn't believe that it was true. Everything had felt so real. Yet, what the dream reaper said did make sense. She was a writer after all and this all could be a product of her over active imagination. Still, a part of her wasn't sure.

"When one door closes," The reaper said as a door materialized on the wall beside it. "Another opens, they say. If you step through this door, you'll wake up at the hospital."

Sira hesitated. "B-but."

"Come on," the Reaper chided. "You don't expect to stay here forever?"

"Don't listen to it" a young child's voice said from behind her.

Glancing back, she saw Haku standing at the entrance to the room.

"Haku?" She said in disbelief. "You can talk?"

"Ignore him," The Reaper said. "That's just your fear talking." It held out a bony hand. "Come with me and everything will be alright."

"It's lying," Haku said. "All that has happened is real. You're not in a hospital. If you go through that door, you will die."

She felt a hand on her shoulder. Glancing to her side, her eyes widened. "Hiei?"

"We need to go," Hiei said as he grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the door. "Now."

"If you run," the Reaper said, its voice sounded eerie and cold. "I will make this painful."

"We're leaving," Hiei said with a hint of finality in his voice.

"Please," Haku whimpered. "Trust us."

The Reaper pulled out its scythe. "You are going back!"

With a tug from Hiei, Sira ran after Haku and him. They could hear the Reaper's howls as it chased after them.

Looking ahead, the hallway seemed to extend for forever.

"In here," Hiei said as he grabbed her and pulled her into a gap between the walls with Haku right behind them.

Due to the lack of space, Sira was inches from Hiei's face. She could already feel a blush rising.

"_Stay quiet_," Hiei said in her mind.

The Reaper had stopped where they were hiding. It glanced around before continuing onward.

Haku waited a couple of seconds before cautiously peeking out.

"Coast is clear," He said as Sira and Hiei followed him.

"How did you guys get here?" Sira asked. "Better yet, when did Haku learn to speak?"

Haku glanced up at her. "The real Haku can't speak. I can speak because your subconscious wants me too."

Sira frowned. "Wait that means…"

"We're figments of your imagination, idiot," Hiei said as he leaned against a wall.

"So, I subconsciously brought you here?" Sira said.

They nodded.

"I understand why Haku's here," She glanced at Hiei. "But why the hell would I want you here?"

"Perhaps you believe that I am more adept at fighting than the others or," He grinned. "You're a pervert."

She glared at him. "If you are my subconscious' doing then I command you to be nicer to me."

"Hn," He said.

"We're only acting the way your subconscious wants us to," Haku said. "But that's beside the point. We need to find a way out of here."

"How did we get here in the first place?" Sira asked.

"We only know what you know," Hiei said.

"Well, you two are a bunch of help," Sira sighed. "So, how do we get out of here?"

* * *

Tori really hated how she kept falling into the situations. Seriously, she had never been this danger prone before but it seemed that ever since Sira and she came to this world, they went from one dangerous situation to another.

Although the mist was annoying, it was giving Tori and Akira perfect coverage and a little extra time to escape. Not much though because she could already hear Etheria hot on their trail.

"We need some place to hide," Tori whispered.

Akira made a yipping sound as he pointed ahead. Squinting, Tori could barely make out a small hole in the ground that had recently been covered by grass. If Akira hadn't shown her, she would have missed it.

Taking a deep breath, she slipped into the hole. After rearranging the grass to cover the hole she scooted as far back as she could. Clutching Akira to her chest, they both quietly waited.

Faintly she could hear someone whistling a tune. It took her a moment to recognize it. Someone was whistling the tune to a hunting we will go.

"We'll catch a little fox," Etheria sang eerily. Her voice was louder which meant she was coming closer. "We'll put him in a box. We'll shake the box until his heart comes to a stop."

Tori shivered. She really didn't like Etheria's rendition of the childhood song.

"I know you're around here," Etheria said. "And I will find you." She began once more to whistle the tune.

Tori pulled Akira a little closer as she tried to ignore the sudden dread that filled her body.

* * *

Sira felt as if she had been walking for hours. The temple's corridors seemed to stretch endlessly with twists and curves. She stopped suddenly when her world lurched forward. A slight gasp escaped her throat as she pitched forward.

Haku and Hiei turned around at the noise. Hiei's face was expressionless while Haku looked worried.

"Are you okay?" Haku asked.

Sira felt panic rise within her as she realized her legs were numb. "I can't move my legs," Sira said as she felt herself begin to hyperventilate. "I'm paralyzed."

"You're not paralyzed," Hiei said as he glanced up at the ceiling. "But this isn't a good sign."

"We need to keep moving," Haku said.

"How?" Sira asked. "I can't walk." Her legs now felt like strange weights attached to her body. The disconnection she felt towards them was creeping her out.

Hiei let out a sigh. He grabbed her and slung her over his shoulders. "Don't fidget," Hiei said. "If you do I'll drop you."

Sira stuck out her tongue as she held on.

They continued onward in silence. Haku seemed to know what was going on so she let her mind drift…which led her to realize how close she was to Hiei.

Granted, Hiei had carried her before but that had been during life threatening situations where she was too focused on not dying to actually notice.

He was very warm. Of course, that was to be expected from a fire demon. She was surprised though to find that the warmth was comforting. She thought that his skin would be boiling hot to the touch. Plus, he had a nice smell. He smelled almost like burning cedar fire wood. If the real Hiei was anything like this one then she wouldn't mind being held more often.

Hiei smirked. "Feeling a little horny are you?"

Sira glared as her face turned a deep red. "I hate you with the intensity of a thousand burning suns! Now I will imagine you in a pink dress."

Nothing happened.

"Kiss my ass, subconscious. Kiss…my…ass…"

* * *

It had been ten minutes since Tori had heard anything outside of her hiding place. Deciding to check to see if it was safe, she shimmied out of her hole, Akira right at her heels.

The mist had cleared leaving behind a shimmery haze on the grass. She didn't see Etheria anywhere.

Something grabbed her hair and yanked hard. Glancing back, she was able to catch a glimpse of Etheria's sinister smile before she fell backwards.

"Lookie what I got," Etheria said as she grabbed Tori by the hair and began to drag her.

Tori yelled as she tried to claw at Etheria's hand. Akira nipped at her heels until Etheria got annoyed and kicked him aside.

A portal appeared before them. As Etheria dragged her towards it, she said. "It's time to go meet the master."

A fire ball shot past Etheria as a pod plant creature sprouted before her.

Hiei and Kurama had arrived. And they were pissed.

* * *

Sira was starting to feel sleepy. The fact that she was comfortable in Hiei's arms and the room was swirling and fading weren't helping her stay awake.

"Don't fall asleep," Hiei said.

"Mmm, what?" Sira asked sleepily.

"We're almost there," Haku said. "Just hold on."

Sira glared at him suspiciously. "How do you know how to get out of here?"

They stopped in front of a door. While everything around it was a dull gray color, the door was a glowing white.

"Okay," Sira said as Hiei sat her down. "I retract my question."

She crawled closer to examine the door. "We've got a problem though." She frowned. "There's no knob." She paused when she realized Hiei and Haku hadn't responded.

"Haku? Hiei?" Sira called as she glanced back. She froze. Hiei and Haku were gone and she was alone.

* * *

By the time Yusuke and Kuwabara arrived, Kurama and Hiei were in the processing of fighting Etheria. Tori was off to the side clutching Akira as she stared wide-eyed at the fight.

As Yusuke went to join the fight, Kuwabara ran over to Tori to see if she was alright.

"Tori?' Kuwabara asked hesitantly.

Tori's eye twitched. "That bitch grabbed my hair. I hope she dies."

Kuwabara sweatdropped. "Er, okay. You just sit there." He summoned his sword and charged into the fight.

Tori stood up on shaky legs as she watched the fight. Akira stood beside her making sure she wouldn't go into shock. Although everyone seemed to be trying to inflict damage on Etheria, it also seemed they were more trying to capture her. Tori frowned. Something was up. She just didn't know what it was.

Kurama summoned a vine while Etheria was distracted. It wrapped around her and dragged her to the ground.

"You will tell us what you did to Sira," Yusuke asked angrily as his spirit gun began to glow. "Or I blow your brains out."

Etheria grinned. "What's the matter? Is Sira out of sorts?" She yelped as Hiei burnt the ends of her hair.

"I'm not in the mood for your games," Hiei said as a fire ball flared menacingly in his hand.

Etheria sighed. "Oh, alright, if you must know, I put a dream reaper inside her." She giggled. "Hopefully she can escape it."

Hiei muttered a few choice words under his breath before flitting away.

Etheria let out a shriek as the vines suddenly squeezed her and pulled her underground. The plants were going to get another good meal.

Tori shivered at the thought. She felt a hand on her shoulder. Glancing back, she saw Kurama looking at her with concern.

"Is Sira okay?" Tori asked, her voice wavering slightly.

"She'll be fine. She is strong," Kurama said. "Are you…"

He was cut off as she threw herself at him. Wrapping her arms around him, she said. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Kurama smiled slightly as he hesitantly put his arms around her. "It's okay."

Tori shook her head. "No, it's not. I was angsting like a Mary Sue. How could I be so stupid?"

Kurama frowned. "I don't know who Mary Sue is but you're not stupid." He patted her head. "I think you're smart."

Tori pulled back. "You're only saying that to be nice." She glared playfully. "And I am not a dog."

"Never said you were," Kurama said. He frowned again as he said. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Tori glanced up at him and smiled. "Yeah, I am now." She could have sworn she saw him blush.

* * *

Sira was beginning to get agitated with the silence, loneliness, and the inability to walk. She tried several times to call out to Hiei and Haku but they never reappeared.

"Stupid Hiei. Stupid Haku." She glared at the door. "Stupid door with no knob." Glancing up at the ceiling, she yelled. "Stupid subconscious that is useless!"

"You are very loud," a voice said.

Sira froze as she saw the reaper materialize in front of her. "I'm not going with you." Sira asked as she backed up against the door.

"Oh really?" The reaper looked around. "By the way, where did the other two go?"

"None of your business," Sira muttered.

"Seems your subconscious failed," The reaper said.

"Shut up!"

"No matter," It continued as it brandished its scythe. "You're coming with me now."

"Tori? Haku?" Sira called out as she pushed herself as close as she could to the door. She hoped desperately somebody would come to her aid. "Kuwabara? Yusuke?"

The reaper raised its scythe over her head.

"Kurama?" She closed her eyes and yelled at the top of her lungs. "Hiei!" She felt the door give way behind her as she fell backwards. She could feel the swoosh of the scythe as it just barely missed her.

She woke seconds later as she sat up right. To her relief, she had feeling in her legs again. Looking around she found herself in her bed in the temple. "Am I dreaming?" She muttered.

She felt someone lightly hit her upside the head.

"No you're not, idiot," Hiei said as he glared her.

"Hiei?" Sira rubbed the back of her head and glared. "Ow, why did you do that?"

"For being stupid enough to let a dream reaper inside you," Hiei said as he walked out the door.

Sira stuck her tongue out. "Jerk."

Yukina came in moments later looking relieved. "Thank goodness you're awake. We weren't sure you were going to make it."

"What happened to me?" Sira asked.

"You had a dream reaper inside you," Yukina said as she pointed to a jar. Inside it was a black swirling blob. "We had to pull it out of you."

"That thing was inside me?" Sira asked as she shivered.

Yukina nodded. "Dream reapers attack you in your dreams. Once there, they slowly eat your soul away." Yukina sighed. "It was a good thing you were so strong. We were worried, Mr. Hiei especially. When he brought you in, he looked really angry."

_Hiei worried about me? _Sira thought as a slight blush crept up on her cheeks. That was ridiculous, she knew that. _But still,_ w_hy does that make me feel happy that he might have cared?_

* * *

Akira slowly crept up to a rock near the temple. He looked around to make sure no one was around before turning his attention to the sky. "All the pieces are falling into place," he smiled. "Soon, they'll meet you face to face."

* * *

L.A.: And that is the end of this weird long chapter.

Amu: Congratulations for coming this far!

L.A.: Good news, from now on you will start to get answers! Yeah!

Amu: Since this story is 3/4 over.

L.A.: Gah! Don't remind me. (becomes depressed and huddles in corner)

Amu: Anywho, you know what to do. READ and REVIEW!


	31. A Reunion of Sorts

A Reunion of Sorts

* * *

L.A.: Hello everyone! Apparently my mind shut down from all the work it has endured and now I am on a writing frenzy.

Amu: Hoozah!

L.A.: In this chapter, we'll see a few familiar faces and maybe a few answers…

Amu: Now Read!

PinkxXxPoisonxXxLemonade: Thanks for the review! Do I get a cookie? (sees spork monkey) er, I think I'll leave now…

Valinor's Twilight: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you are enjoying the story!

Out-Of-Control-Authoress: Thanks for the review! You want to know where Carl went. I will say this much. There is a method to my madness. (shifty eyes)

Angel of Randomosity: Thanks for the review! Yes, the subconscious is annoying. Amu likes to sometimes pretend to be my subconscious. It is very annoying.

Spidey meets Wizard-Theif: Thanks for the review you two! Sorry, W.T. but I don't think Kurama's going to get a spirit beast in this story. It just isn't working out. And Spidey, you know we don't ever bring up the C. word around Amu. (Amu looks at L.A. suspiciously) (whistles innocently)

UpperClassK9: Thanks for the review! I predict you will learn who Akira works for very soon.

Suzakus Wings: Thanks for the reviews! Yay! Someone else who has read _Crime and Punishment. _Fun times.

Yume Ninja: Thanks for the reviews! Don't worry, starting now, pieces will start to fall into place.

dragongirl-8507 : Thanks for the review! I'm glad this story puts you into a better mood.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did then I wouldn't have to suffer for my art.

* * *

Night came quickly and although Tori was exhausted, she found that she couldn't sleep. So, instead she found herself wandering around the outside of the temple. She settled for sitting on the steps outside the temple door. This gave her great access to see the stars.

Summer was coming. There was promise of warmth in the air. She still couldn't believe that they had been here for so long. She wondered what her family was thinking and what was going on now at school. A part of her though, never really wanted this adventure to end.

"Couldn't sleep?" a voice asked.

She turned to see Kurama sitting down beside her.

Tori grinned. "Not really. Guess I still have some adrenaline left in my system."

"I've heard that can cause problems," Kurama said with a smile.

They were silent for a few minutes.

Kurama watched her from the corner of his eye. The moonlight shone down on her causing her to look like she had a blue aura dancing off her body.

She was beautiful. This was strange thing to say. She didn't look like a model. In fact, right now she was only in a pair of shorts and a tank top. Her hair was pulled up in a sloppy ponytail causing many hairs to stick out. There was nothing really extraordinary about her.

And yet…

The way she moved, the way her eyes shone in the light, even the curve of her lips seemed to fascinate him.

He shook his head as he turned his attention back to the stars. He needed to stop thinking that way. There was no need to break any hearts when there was another way.

"Hey Kurama?" Tori said, refusing to look away from the stars. "You remember what I said earlier?"

Kurama frowned. "I'm not sure..."

"You know, that we shouldn't be together," She paused. "I didn't mean it."

Kurama looked away. He knew what she was implying but he knew that it wasn't wise. He was supposed to protect Sira and her. That was his job. Showing romantic inclinations to one could jeopardize the mission. "Tori I don't…"

"Just hear me out," Tori said. She kept her gaze fixated on the stars. "Before, I thought it would be better, for both of us, if we weren't together." She shuffled her foot. "The truth is that it hurt more not being with you." She sighed. "I will have to go back to my world sometime. That is inevitable. But, wouldn't it be better if we spent whatever time we had left together?" She turned to look at him. "Well, wouldn't it?"

As he stared at her, he realized that he wanted nothing more than to agree with her.

_It is better to have had love and lost it than to never love at all._

He smirked at the thought. _How ironic._ He watched as his hand cupped her cheek and drew her towards him. If she was okay with it then so was he.

They didn't have to make each other promises or profess their undying love like in b-rated movies.

They had no future but at least they could enjoy the present.

* * *

"What?" Tori and Sira yelled at the same time. It was the following morning. When they entered the den, they were greeted by none other than Genkai who had startling news for them.

"You heard me, as soon as Sira is fully recovered you two are going through training," Genkai said with her arms crossed.

"But we can't," Sira whined. "Neither one of us are athletically inclined."

"You two looked like weaklings out there," Genkai said. "You can't expect those idiots to save you all the time."

"B-but…" Tori said

Genkai glared. "Do you want to be damsels in distresses for your entire lives?"

"No," Sira said as Tori and she shook their heads.

"Then you will start training." She left before they could protest.

Sira sighed as she slouched back in the sofa. "Well, this is great." Haku quickly hopped in her lap and curled into a ball. Ever since the dream reaper incident, Haku has never left her side. He even tried to follow her into the bathroom. When she wouldn't let him in, he whined and scratched at the door until she came back out.

Seeing Haku reminded Tori of a certain missing fox. "Have you seen Akira?"

Sira shook her head. "Not since yesterday." An evil grin appeared on her face. "I bet he left when his lackey was killed."

"Very funny," Tori said sarcastically. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Akira pass by a window. She quickly stood up. "Akira!" She yelled as she ran after him.

Sira sighed as she scooped Haku up and followed her. "Wait up, Tori!"

By the time she reached Tori, Sira was nearly out of breath. "Hey… did you…forget…I'm still recovering?"

Tori grinned sheepishly as she scooped Akira up. "Sorry about that." She turned her attention back to Akira. "You shouldn't be running off on your own."

Akira stared at her with owl-like eyes. "Nu-lack!"

"I'm glad to see that you two are okay," a voice said.

They both looked up in surprise.

"Carl?" Tori said in disbelief.

Sure enough, it was the ogre.

"Where the hell have you been?" Sira asked. "I thought you were dead."

Carl frowned. "But, Tori told me she didn't want to see me until I told her who I worked for." He puffed his chest out. "And now I can. He wants to see you."

"He?" Sira said as she hugged Haku close to her "Who's he?"

"That would be me," boomed a familiar voice.

The scenery around them seemed to melt and was replaced with the interior of a castle. Sitting on the throne in front of them was a familiar furry dog like creature.

"Molester!" Sira shrieked as she hid behind Tori.

Haku jumped out of her arms and stood protectively in front of them.

The molester grinned. "It's good to see you too. Although, I do wish you would quite calling me that. I do have a name, you know."

"So," Tori said slowly as she looked at Carl. "You work for him?"

Carl nodded. "And, I'm not the only one."

Akira wiggled out of her arms and jumped onto the arm chair.

The molester grinned at him. "Hello, dear friend. How are you?"

"I'm doing quite well. You though, look as if you went through hell."

Sira's eye twitched. "See, I told you Akira was evil. He talks and even rhymes."

Akira cocked his head. "I cannot help this tick of mine. I always have to end my sentences in a rhyme."

"And he's not evil," the molester said. "His name is Mystère. You could say he's the embodiment of mystery."

"That's sound so stupid," Sira said with a glare.

Tori stepped on her foot and sent a glare.

"Well, it is," Sira muttered.

"Why did you send Mystère if you had Carl keeping tabs on us?" Tori asked.

The molester looked at them as if they were idiots. "You wouldn't let Carl near you so I needed an inside man."

Akira shrugged. "I was bored and needed entertainment. He needed a spy so I was sent."

"You know," The molester said casually. "We only have a limited amount of time. Don't you have some important questions you would like to ask me?"

"Well for starters," Sira said. "Who are you and what do those freaky people that keep attacking us want?"

"That's two questions but I'll answer them." The molester leaned back on its hunches. "They call me the Argos. How I got the name I'm not really sure. As to the second question, they want you two because you're special."

Tori and Sira looked at him skeptically.

"Uh-huh," Tori said. "Then how come we can't do anything."

"You can do everything," the Argos said. "Didn't you ever wonder why I chose a painter and a writer?"

"You're a big supporter of the arts?" Sira said.

"Think of what a painter and a writer have in common," Akira said calmly. "In that lies the answer to your problem."

"Come again?" Tori asked.

"Only you know the answer to your own question," The Argos said. "I cannot help you there."

Sira and Tori looked like they were about to protest but he cut them off. "

"I don't have much time left so I'll say one last thing," He looked them in the eye. "If you were to think of this whole ordeal as a game then you must realize that the final boss will come soon. With the final boss is your way home. You must tread cautiously because with the final boss, all rules are thrown out."

Tori frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

The Argos cocked his head as if he heard a noise. "You must go. Just remember to heed my warning."

In a blink of an eye, they were back in front of the temple.

"Whoa," Sira said as she rubbed her head. "That was crazy." Haku watched her warily to make sure she wouldn't fall.

Carl gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry about the boss. He wanted to be more cordial but times are pretty stressful now." He sighed. "I guess I should say my goodbye as well. I've got a few errands I have to run for the boss."

"Oh," Sira said. "Well, see ya!"

"Bye," Tori called after him. "Sorry I thought you were evil."

"No problem I…" He was cut off as he tripped over a bush. He quickly got back up and brushed himself off. "I meant to do that," He said before disappearing.

Sira sighed. "Same old Carl."

Tori looked down at Akira. "So, do I have to call you Mystère?

Akira shook his head. "Akira is just fine. I've come to like it as a name of mine."

"So, why did you pretend you couldn't talk?" Sira asked.

"I am the embodiment of mystery as you can plainly see. If I wasn't mysterious then I wouldn't be me."

"Freak," Sira muttered.

"We have more important problems to worry about," Tori said causing all three to look at her. "The final boss will show itself soon."

"And we need to figure out why we're here," Sira said. She glanced at Akira. "You wouldn't tell us, would you?"

Akira smiled mysteriously. "What do a writer and painter have in common?"

"In that lies the answer to our problem," Tori muttered.

* * *

L.A.: Bwahaha! I gave you some answers and left you with more mysteries!

Amu: Mystère, seriously?

L.A.: There is a reason. It's actually a hint to something in this story though I doubt anyone will pick it up until the end.

Amu: Hm, being clever are we?

L.A.: Like I always say there is a method to my madness.

Amu: (whispers) There is no method. There's just madness.

L.A.: (grins evily) We're all mad here…

Amu: Gah! You quoted him! I hate that freak! ( begins to throw stuff around room)

L.A.: Okay, probably not my best idea. Anyway, you know what to do. READ and REVIEW! (notices Amu's destruction and sweatdrops) Er, I should probably try to calm her down now…


	32. Invasion of the Ants

Invasion of the Ants

* * *

L.A.: Hello everyone!

Amu: Where have you been? There are people with pitchforks and torches standing outside our house.

L.A.: Really? (looks outside and sees an angry mob of doom) Oh, well you see…

Screen blacks out for a few minutes.

L.A.:… and that's why I haven't been able to update.

Amu: You do realize that nobody heard your excuses.

L.A.: I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Amu: (frowns) I'm being ignored. I feel so loved…

Noyesgirl: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like the creativeness!

Angel of Randomosity: Thanks for the review! If they had the power to control Amu that would be scary. (gives Amu a worried look)

UpperClassK9: Thanks for the review! An interesting theory, you shall soon see if you are right.

Valinor's Twilight: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed the update.

Dreamz15: Thanks for the review! Hopefully your questions will soon be answered.

PinkxXxPoisonxXxlemonade: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you love this story!

Lady Vandelle: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like Akira. Also, I studied French for a little bit so it was fun trying to figure out what you were saying.

Out-Of-Control-Authoress: Thanks for the review! Yeah, cookies! (eats cookies) I'm glad you feel the need to give me cookies.

Spidey meets Wizard-Theif: Thanks for the review you two! I'm glad I have pleased you. W.T., if I write another story for Yu Yu Hakusho I'll see if I can incorporate a spirit beast just for you.

Yume Ninja: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you are liking it.

Suzakus Wings: Thanks for the review! Please don't kill me though (backs away slowly) I already have an angry mob outside my door.

TheMentalHyuuga: Thanks for the reviews!

Dragongirl-8507: Thanks for the review! I'm glad this story is keeping you sane.

Anime-Kunoichi: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like this story.

Rosewhip889: Thanks for the review! Yeah, my characters are odd but that's what makes them entertaining.

Demon of my heart and mind: Thanks for the review! I am glad you are enjoying this story. Interesting guesses however it will be a few chapters before the answer is revealed.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I only own my characters and Amu. Side note, there were 16 reviews for last chapter. Way to go everyone!

* * *

Socrates stared blankly at the darkness before him. He could not see his master, but he could hear the scraping of his claws as he paced back and forth. Socrates rolled his eyes. He really wished he had brought a book. If he had realized that his master was just going to make him stand and wait, he would have stayed at home and continued to read _Odysseus_.

"Socrates," The master's voice boomed and he could almost feel his bones clank against each other. "Three have failed me. You are all that is left." Socrates heard him laugh. "Although I don't know how useful or trustful you are."

Socrates bowed, his gaze lowering to the ground. "I am loyal to you. I will not fail."

"Bull crap," the master said, his red eyes boring into Socrates. "Quit kissing my ass. The only reason I haven't killed you is that I know that you have a personal attachment to this." He paused, his gaze unblinking. "If you capture both and bring them to me. I promise you may have the blonde one."

Socrates stood back up and grinned. "I would like that very much."

The master's eyes disappeared. The scraping of claws Socrates heard, meant that he had turned away. His way of dismissing him. "Then go," he said. "Do what you want."

Socrates nodded as he began to walk away. "I will work for you," he muttered under his breath. "For now."

* * *

Sira was starting to hate being danger prone. If she wasn't danger prone then she could have gone out with Tori and the others instead of be stuck with Hiei.

"You'll be fine," Tori said as she tried to hide a grin. Tori had been a lot happier recently. Sira couldn't figure out what had caused her mood swings as of late, but she was determined to find out.

"I can barely get him to say one sentence to me," Sira said as she flailed her arms about. "Usually he only says three words. Hn, Shut up, or idiot."

"That was technically five," Tori said.

"Tori," Sira gave her a puppy dog look.

"Just relax," Tori said as she walked out the door. "Remember, we have training as soon as you get better."

"Don't remind me," Sira groaned.

All her attempts had failed, so she now found herself sitting on the sofa with Haku as she stared at Hiei.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you even here?" Sira said. "I can take care of myself."

"Botan wanted to do team bonding time. It was either that or stay here."

Sira giggled. Knowing Botan, it would have been something that would annoy Hiei to death. She sighed. "You want to eat ice cream and wish ill will to cheesy shows."

"Hn," Hiei said as he crossed his arms. She knew he agreed because there was a slight smirk on his face.

* * *

After ten minutes of watching television, they got into a fight. Sira had found _Gilmore Girls_ and was refusing to change the channel. Since the show was everything he despised, Hiei was making every attempt to get the remote away from her.

"Change the channel," Hiei said.

"Never," Sira said as she hid the remote behind her back. "This is Gilmore. I will fight to the death."

Hiei smirked evilly. "That can be arranged." He lunged forward causing her to start and fall backwards. The hand with the remote was trapped behind her back. Haku had jumped out of the way just in time and turned back and glared at them.

Hiei had a hand on either side of her, his eyes flashing dangerously.

He was close…really close. He did smell like burning firewood and a comforting heat radiated from his body.

Her heart was beating way too fast for her liking and she could feel a slight blush creeping up. Why did she act his way around him?

Her eyes widened when a thought occurred to her. _Oh God, he can read my mind. Please don't read my mind. Please, please, please don't read my mind._

Hiei's smirk widened as he leaned closer. "Why don't you want me to read your mind?"

This was bad. She couldn't hide what she was thinking and she would be horrified if he knew.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a small black dot move. Her eyes widened as she slipped out from under Hiei and jumped to her feet. "That can't be what I think it is."

She ran in the direction she thought the black dot move. Entering the kitchen, she let out a gasp of horror as she noticed black dots everywhere. She began to scream as she stomped around. She whipped out her cell phone and quickly texted Tori.

* * *

Tori started when she heard her cell phone vibrate. Kurama frowned. "Something wrong?"

Tori sighed as she pulled out her cell phone and checked the Caller I.D.

"It's Sira," She opened the text message and frowned. "What the heck?"

Kurama glanced over her shoulder to read the message and raised an eyebrow.

_The ants r attacking! They're everywhere! Call the national guard! The army! A Horde of anteaters!_

"Uh…" Kurama started.

"Yeah," Tori said. "I have no idea. I've got nothing."

* * *

"What the hell are you doing?" Hiei said with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, great you're here," Sira said as she whirled around. "Help me kill them." She paused as her phone vibrated. She opened the text message from Tori.

_R U Drunk?_

"Seriously?" Sira said as she slapped another ant. "This is an emergency."

Hiei glared. "We're in a temple. Ants will be here."

"No," Sira said, her eyes wide. "You don't understand. I love all creatures except for the ones that have attacked me for no reason. They go on my black list. This list is for species that I would not care if they all randomly died. Ants are on this list. Along with Mosquitoes." She paused. "Australian Goats were going on my list but I like their American counterparts so I decided to give them a break."

Hiei put his hands on her shoulders. "Stop whining. They won't hurt you. If they become really annoying, I'll burn them."

Sira blinked and stared him. Was that Hiei's way of trying to be nice?

Her legs gave out under her. Hiei caught her and glared. She gave him a sheepish grin. "Eh, heh, kind of over did it, didn't I?"

"Hn," Hiei picked her up and carried her bridal style back to the sofa. A blush crept up once more as she glanced up at him. He was refusing to look at her. She was surprised that he hadn't read her mind yet. _Or maybe he has_, she thought. _And he's probably laughing in his head. _She glared. _Well, screw him. It's not like I'm in love or anything. Not with that jerk. _

Hiei looked down at her as she quickly looked away. He dropped her unceremoniously on the couch. "Now sleep. I don't want to keep an eye on you all the time."

She would have retaliated but she was so tired all of the sudden. Haku hopped back up and curled up on her stomach. She shot Hiei one more glare before falling asleep.

* * *

When she woke up, it was late. She let out a yawn as she sat up. Haku let out a yelp as he hopped off her stomach and glared.

"Sorry, Haku," She said as she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. She glanced to her right and smirked.

Hiei had fallen asleep beside her. Just to make sure, she waved a hand in front of him. He didn't react.

She glanced back at Haku. "I didn't even think he slept."

Haku cocked his head curiously.

"He must be exhausted if he fell asleep in front of me," She said as she leaned closer. Hiei didn't look so scary when he was asleep. His expression was gentle. It made her think that maybe one time, long ago, he wasn't such a bad guy.

His eyes snapped open. "What are you doing?"

Sira let out a yelp and fell off the couch. "Don't scare me like that. I thought you were sleeping."

Hiei glared. "I don't sleep."

Sira smirked. "Then what was that?"

The sound of voices from outside provided the perfect distraction from Hiei's glare. "Guess they're home. I'll go check on them."

She quickly ran to the front door. She opened the door and was about to greet them when her mouth dropped and her eyes widened.

Kurama and Tori were standing in front of the door…kissing. There were only three words that came to Sira's mind. "What the hell?"

* * *

L.A.: Short chapter but since it is summer, I'll be updating this weekly until it is done. (looks around) Uh, where did Amu go?

Amu: ATTACK MY MINIONS, ATTACK! (laughs maniacally)

(Angry mob comes through door and attacks L.A.)

L.A.: (is drowning in mob) No! Don't let them take me away.

Amu: You shall never ignore me again!

L.A.: Nooooo!!!!! (is taken away.)

Amu: Now I have control. Buwahahahaha!!!!

(crickets chirp for a few minutes)

Amu: Well, it sure is boring when L.A.'s not here…

To be continued…


	33. The Great Argument

The Great Argument

* * *

Amu: (is bawling) I'm so lonely! Without L.A. here I don't have anyone to talk to, or tease, or make me pie. (sobs) Why did the mob take her away?

L.A.: (magically appears behind her) Because you sicked them on me.

Amu: Gah! (passes out from shock)

L.A.: (blinks) In other news, I just finished my first latch hook piece and I will soon learn how to crochet. I'm finally crafty which makes me so proud. (wipes a tear from her eye) Wow, I could be an old lady. That's a little sad.

Amu: (is still passed out)

L.A.: Anywho enjoy the chapter!

Demon of my heart and mind: Thanks for the review! I appreciate the glomp. (feels loved) Anywho, yeah I can totally feel for you about the ants. We had an ant problem last summer so whenever I turned my dog out, I would get bitten by ants. Black ants to be exact which I thought was not possible but apparently it is.

DoilyRox: Thanks for the review! Oh, strawberry muffin! (eats muffin) Yum, I'm so glad Amu's not awake now. She would have eaten it.

9shadowcat9: Thanks for the review! No, don't join the mob. I've updated, see? Now you can be on my side!

Valinor's Twilight: Thanks for the review! As for what's going on with Tori and Kurama, I don't think they even know themselves.

Yume Ninja: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked the line. I have updated as you have requested.

Out-Of-Control-Authoress: Thanks for the review! Hopefully I won't be taking so long to update. If everything goes according to plan (which of course it never does but let's just pretend anyway) I should be updating this story weekly.

Angel of Randomosity: Thanks for the review! Sweet, I'm glad you found this funny. Sometimes I fail at humor so, I'm glad it's working.

Heavensblackcat: Thanks for the review! Oh, don't go crazy. That would be sad. Hopefully this update will allow you to keep your sanity by reading about their insanity. Wow, try saying that three times fast.

Shiningheart of ThunderClan: Thanks for the review! Yeah, Sira doesn't like ants because they bit her. Any animal that attacks her goes on her black list which strangely enough is similar to mine. (shifty eyes) I wonder how that happened.

Dyani91: Thanks for the review! And, of course you can save it to your archives. I always get so excited and honored when someone feels the need to add it to their favorite stories. It means I'm doing a good job.

UpperClassK9: Thanks for the review! Yeah, if we were to go by Youko's and Kurama's fan base, then he would have like a billion babies in the world and be the biggest slut of all time. Which makes me wonder, since he is a guy, he wouldn't be a slut so what would he be. Hmm…and now I'm digressing so I'll stop and let you get to the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I only own my characters who keep freeloading off of me. (Amu wakes up, glares at L.A., and passes out again)

* * *

She should have seen it coming. When she thought back to it, the signs had been all around her. Maybe she had been in denial or maybe she was just oblivious but nothing could prepare her for opening the door to her best friend kissing an anime character.

"Sira…" Tori started.

"Blah!" Sira said as she turned away. "Excuse me while I go have a panic attack."

"Sira," Tori groaned as she ran after her.

She had barely made it to her room before Tori caught up with her.

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Tori said. "We're not really in a relationship yet. We're just together. Plus, I knew you would react this way."

"What way," Sira's eye twitched as she sat on her bed. "I'm perfectly fine with this."

Tori raised an eyebrow. "Your eye is twitching."

"Okay," Sira slammed her hands onto the bed. "I'm not." She glared at Tori. "And, you shouldn't be either."

"Tori's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

"We're eventually going to go back," Sira said as she crossed her arms. "And, where does that leave you? Heartbroken and depressed."

"And, how do you know that's going to happen?" Tori said, her hands on her hips.

"Because we are in an anime," Sira said. "Our story has to go towards the great plan like all stories."

Tori rolled her eyes. "If you haven't noticed, nothing's gone according to your supposed plan." She clenched her fists. "Have you ever thought that we might not ever go home?"

Sira stood up, her face flushed with anger. "Don't say that."

"Or what," Tori glared. "Is some great evil creature going to come down and gobble me up for saying such blasemy?"

Sira's stance wavered slightly. Hurt flashed briefly in her eyes "Tori…"

Angry tears ran down Tori's face. "Couldn't you have at least pretended to be happy for me?"

"I just don't see how this is going to make you happy," Sira said. Tori had to see her side. She was just looking out for her.

Tori crossed her arms and looked away. "Well, a best friend would have tried to."

Sira's eyes narrowed as fresh anger rose up in her. "Well, I'm sorry I didn't follow the best friend code. Maybe we shouldn't be best friends."

Tori lowered her head as she turned away. "Maybe we shouldn't."

Sira let out a gasp as shock filled her. Tori quickly walked out of the room leaving Sira all alone.

Something thumped the bed post. Looking down, she saw Haku. He was looking up with his head cocked and his eyes full of concern.

"Hey there," She said as she scooped him up and cradled him. "Don't worry about us. It was just a fight." A tear slid down her face as her voice wavered. "It's only just a fight?"

* * *

Socrates was pleased with how things were developing. From his perch on a tree on the outskirts of the temple, he had seen the fight break out between the two girls. "It seems the stress of their situation is finally getting the better of them," He whispered. He still had a few more things to do before he could set his plan into action. His plan looked like it would definitely succeed with the sudden generosity from his master. He brandished the sword he held in his hand. Daragon, the demon sword, was a prize for any demon and the fact that his master had entrusted it to him made Socrates think that maybe the master did believe in his plan.

He was no fool though. He knew not to fully trust his master. The threat of death still hung in the air between them. However, after fully investigating the sword, he could not find any spells or traps that could hurt him.

"Soon," he whispered as he slipped Daragon back in its sheath. "Very soon."

The tree branch bent with additional weight which meant his company had arrived. "Ah, I see you've finally arrived," he said as he turned towards his company. "I am in need of your services."

A feminine giggle reached his ears. "It will be my pleasure," the figure said.

* * *

Yukina was worried. She knew that Sira and Tori had been in a fight. In fact, the entire temple and the nearby town had heard by the way they carried on the night before.

Fights happened between people. This was nothing new to her. And, since Sira and Tori were best friends, she hadn't been too worried when they slammed the doors to their rooms and refused to talk to anyone for the rest of the night.

However, when the next day came and they were still refusing to talk to one another, she knew that there was a problem. They were being stubborn and childish. Whatever they had fought about, they each thought that they were in the right. The tension created by this argument was almost unbearable. Nobody liked the fact that the two best friends were fighting. Something had to be done.

Sira entered the room. She took one glance at Tori, rolled her eyes, and headed towards the kitchen.

Tori glared. "What's the matter? To high and mighty to be in the same room?"

Sira laughed. "Uh, no, I just don't want to witness you pull another Mary Sue antic."

Tori stood up. "What did you just call me?"

"Oh," Sira said slyly. "You mean Mary Sue?" She grinned. "Mary Sue. Mary Sue Mary Sue…"

Yusuke leaned towards Kuwabara. "Who the hell is Mary Sue?"

"You expect me to know," Kuwabara said

"Enough!" Yukina yelled causing everyone to stop and stare at her in amazement. Really, she didn't understand why everyone would stare at her when she lost her temper. Just because she rarely showed that side of her didn't mean she didn't have one

Tori and Sira sent each other one final glare before marching off in different directions.

Yukina sighed. They needed a distraction. Her gaze drifted to the TV where an advertisement was playing. Watching it for a few seconds, her face lit up.

* * *

Sira wandered aimlessly through the halls with Haku trailing slowly behind her. She really wanted to be better today but apparently she still hadn't gotten over the argument. A room was off to her right. She peered inside and saw Genkai sitting in an arm chair, reading a newspaper and smoking a cigarette.

Sira entered the room and sat on the sofa across from her. Haku ran and jumped up to sit next to her.

"I know I'm right," Sira said. "Don't you think so?"

Genkai put down her newspaper. "You do realize that you are in the same room as me?"

"Tori's just being stubborn," Sira said. She glanced up at Genkai. "Right?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Genkai returned to her newspaper.

Sira turned towards Haku. "You believe I'm right, don't you?"

Haku cocked his head in confusion.

Sira let out a sigh as she stormed out of the room.

"My home is a zoo," Genkai said as she flipped the page.

* * *

Tori sat down on a rock and gloomily took in her surroundings. She knew Sira had just been looking out for her but she was angry that Sira thought she was foolhardy.

"Ah, it seems I have found you, Miss Tori," Akira said as he sat in front of her. "I see something is troubling you, what can it be?"

Sira and I sort of had a fight," Tori said.

Akira nodded. "Yes, I noticed you two had a tiff. Does it have to do with a certain someone's relationship?"

Tori looked at him in surprise. "How did you know?"

Akira grinned. "We are talking about me. Therefore, the answer will forever remain a mystery."

"Hardy, har, har," Tori said as she leaned back on the rock. "I just can't believe Sira doesn't trust me. It's not like I'm in love with Kurama or anything."

"Sira knows you are wiser than that. However, love is fickle; it can become passionate or end in a spat." Akira stood back up. "But, there is something you shouldn't ignore. Wherever there is a relationship, there is the ability for it to become something more."

Tori smirked. "My, you're quite the poet."

Akira shrugged. "Sounding poetic takes lots of time." He cast her a sly grin. "Of course, it helps if you always end in a rhyme."

* * *

Sira wandered outside in search of something to vent her anger on. A nearby tree looked promising so she walked up to it, kicked it lightly, then turned around, and leaned against it.

"Don't kick my tree," a voice said from overhead.

She looked up and saw Hiei sitting on a branch. "Every tree's your tree." Sira stood up and crossed her arms.

"Hn," Hiei leaned back against the trunk.

"I've got a question for you," Sira said. "Would you allow yourself to fall in love with someone that you might never see again?"

"I think love is a pointless emotion," Hiei said.

Sira rolled her eyes. "Okay, let me rephrase my question. Would you allow yourself to hate someone that you'll never see again?"

"No," he peered down at her, "because I would have already killed him instead of risking never seeing him again."

"Ugh," Sira threw her hands in the air. "You're hopeless."

"Hn," he said with a smirk on his face

"How the hell do you have fan girls?" Sira pointed an accusing finger at him. "There are people who think they can change you, marry you, and have your kids." She dropped her arms. "They obviously never met you. I mean, you're like…" She cleared her throat and lowered her voice. "I'm Hiei. Hn. You should fear me. Hn. I'm gonna cut your tongue out. Hn."

Hiei raised an eyebrow. "Are you done?"

Sira glared. "Hn." She abruptly turned around and made to leave.

"You can't control love or hate," Hiei called out to her. "It just happens."

Sira turned around and looked at him skeptically.

Hiei shrugged. "At least, that's what the fox says."

* * *

Yukina bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet. She had come up with a great way to ease tension and hoped that the others would be interested.

As Tori entered the room Sira came barging in from the kitchen holding something. "You dropped your earring" She said angrily as she held it out to Tori.

Tori glared. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Sira said sarcastically as she quickly left the room.

_Well, _Yukina thought, _hopefully it will work._

* * *

L.A.: Now what does Yukina have planned? Will Socrates win? Will Genkai ever have her temple returned to normal? You'll have to wait and see.

Amu: (is still passed out)

L.A.: (raises eyebrow) You done playing dead yet?

Amu: (stick forelegs in air like Frankenstein and sits up) I live!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

L.A. (rolls eyes) A little melodramatic, aren't we?

Amu: (glares) Kill joy.


	34. And Thus Cupid Strikes

And Thus Cupid Strikes

* * *

L.A.: Whoa, just barely made it under the wire.

Amu: You really cut it close.

L.A.: Anywho, there was confusion on whether Akira was rhyming or not last chapter. He was but he was using a special type of rhyming called assonance. It's where you rhyme vowel sounds within lines of poetry. I change him up sometimes because it gets hard to do perfect rhyme.

Amu: Tis true plus you are a slacker.

L.A.: (glares at Amu) Also, You should all be excited since the chapter is nice and long.

Amu: (is excited)

L.A.: In other news, I saw _The Proposal_ last night. So funny and it even got my romantic side, which I keep buried due to its annoyingness, excited.

A little pink bird appears and flies around the room.

Pink Bird: Feel the love. So romantic.

L.A.: Ack! It got out! Quick grab it.

Amu: I will kill you. (pounces pink bird)

Pink Bird: (is pounced) In…pain…but still feeling the love.

L.A.: And, this is why you aren't allowed out. (sighs) Why must you be so weird and pathetic?

Out-Of-Control-Authoress: Thanks for the review! Yeah, they're fighting but their best friends. They'll get over it soon.

Demon of my heart and mind: Thanks for the review! The fact that you mentioned Ouran High School Host Club made me so happy! The twins and Tamaki happen to be my favorites. Thanks for the twin glomp.

9shadowcat9: Thanks for the review! And thank you for not attacking me with the pitchfork. That would have been painful.

Yume Ninja: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you are still loving my story. Hopefully I can still keep you entertained.

UpperClassK9: Thanks for the review! I'm glad that you have paid attention to the story and I'm glad you like Hiei.

Valinor's Twilight: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked it.

..Was.: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked the Hiei bit. I was laughing when I was writing it.

DoilyRox: Thanks for the review! Hiei, helpful? Ha, that would be the day. Yeah, a blueberry muffin. (goes to eat muffin. Amu steals and eats it.) No, my muffin.

Heavensblackcat: Thanks for the review! Yeah, I would be scared of Yukina's plan as well. All the niceness has got to be a cover for her real motives…

Spidey meets Wizard-Theif: Thanks for the review! I've forgive you for the late review. After all, I sometimes takes me forever to update. Hm, it's got to be hard for you two to read Warrior Pigeon then go back to this story. Heck, I'm surprised I'm not confused.

Shiningheart of ThunderClan: Thanks for the review! You're close… but you'll have to wait and see.

Angel of Randomosity: Thanks for the review! Yes both of them do need to be slapped upside the head for being so stupid. Also, don't you know, we never mention the 'b' word in front of Amu. It makes her angry. (glances at Amu who is looking at her suspiciously)

DaAmazingMeepers: Thanks for the review! The suspense can quit killing you now.

12: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like my story and characters.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I just own my characters.

* * *

"What?" Tori and Sira said at the same time.

Yukina had gathered everyone into the main room to suggest her plan. Everyone seemed surprised by her suggestion. "It's called the Festival of Hearts," She said with excitement. "I saw it on the television. It's nearby and there will be tons of food, rides, and other fun stuff." She looked at them hopefully. "So, do you think we can go?"

Naturally, nobody could resist Yukina, so everyone agreed to go. The next day, they found themselves standing at the entrance to the festival. Balloon hearts were everywhere and also all the couples in a 20 mile radius.

Glancing over at Hiei, Sira saw his eye twitch. Apparently, he was having a stroke from all the love and happiness in the air. Snickering, she was about to tell Tori when she remembered that they were still in a fight.

Kuwabara looked uncomfortable as well until he saw Yukina's excited grin. He immediately straightened up and with the biggest grin he could wear, he said. "Let's go my sweet Yukina."

Hiei stepped forward but Sira stopped him by grapping his arm. "Whoa there, Mr. Overprotective. Let the two enjoy themselves."

Hiei glanced down at the hand holding his arm.

Sira grinned sheepishly as she quickly let go. "Yeah, I know, no touchy."

After they paid to get in, Yusuke and Kuwabara argued over what ride to go on first. Seeing this made Sira suddenly feel lonely. Keiko had Yusuke, Yukina had Kuwabara, Tori had Kurama, and Sira had… no one.

Well, that wasn't necessarily true. She did have Haku. Unfortunately, dogs weren't allowed so they had to leave Haku at the temple. He acted like he was never going to see her again with all his howling and whining. Sira promised to bring a treat home for him.

She knew Hiei would never go on the rides so instead of riding all of them alone, she decided to get out while she could.

"Hey guys," Sira said causing everyone to stop and look at her. "I think I'll just go get some food."

"What?" Keiko said.

"Sira," Yukina added.

"Don't worry," Sira shrugged. "I'm not really in the mood for rides." She quickly said goodbye and left before they could protest some more.

Tori let out a sigh as she watched her friend go. Feeling an arm warp around her waist, she looked up at Kurama.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his eyes filled with concern.

"It's just… going on rides was kind of Sira's and my thing," Her eyes widened as she quickly added. "No offense."

Kurama smirked. "None taken." He became serious again. "What did you two fight over anyway?"

Tori let her gaze drop to the ground. "You, actually."

Kurama raised an eyebrow. "Me?"

"Sira seems to think that I will fall madly in love with you and when we go back to my world I will be heartbroken." Tori rolled her eyes. "I mean I'm not stupid. I don't expect this relationship to last forever and we get married and have kids. I'm not psycho." She glanced at Kurama. "We're just together for companionship, right?"

Kurama looked at her pointedly. "Because you are a girl and I have no idea how you want me to answer that, I choose not to reply."

Tori laughed as she punched him playfully. "Smart ass."

"Hey love birds," Yusuke yelled from up ahead. "Hurry up already. I want to beat the line to the roller coaster."

Tori glared. "Did he seriously just call us love birds? I'm so going to kill him."

"I think Keiko's beat you to it," Kurama said as they watched Keiko punch Yusuke angrily.

* * *

Sira glared at Hiei. "You know, I don't need a babysitter." She had been hoping to have some time alone to wallow in self pity. Instead, Hiei followed her.

Hiei glared. "Koenma said that we need to keep an eye on you." He turned his gaze to a nearby stall. "Plus, I want some sweet snow."

Sira's eye twitched. "It's ice cream not sweet snow. How many times do I have to tell you that?" She was about to continue her tirade when she noticed a very familiar figure go into a ride up ahead. A figure that happened to look a lot like Socrates.

She abruptly changed directions and headed towards the ride at a brisk walk.

"Where are you going?" Hiei said, sounding a little more than annoyed.

"I think Socrates went on that ride," She said as she reached the entrance to the ride. She was surprised to see that there was no wait. Glancing at the ride, she realized why. It was the Tunnel of Love. Shivering, Sira quickly turned away but was stopped in her tracks by a hand on her shoulder.

"Well aren't you just darlin'?" said a woman wearing an orange uniform and matching hat "Why don't you hop on in."

Sira was practically thrown into the little heart-shaped boat. The boat immediately started moving forward. Looking around frantically, she saw Hiei standing off to the side. He looked extremely amused with her predicament.

"Get me out of here," Sira yelled.

Hiei flitted forward to help. When he landed in the boat, the safety bar forced them into their seats. They both tried to move the bar but it wouldn't budge.

"Wow," Sira said as she leaned back in her seat. "Safety inspectors have really gotten anal on safety." Although she was trying to appear relaxed, she was fearful. If Hiei, a fire demon, couldn't budge the bar then this wasn't an ordinary ride.

They soon entered the tunnel and were bombarded with psychedelic lights that were shaped in hearts and cupids.

Glancing at Hiei, she saw that his eye was twitching. _Oh my gosh,_ Sira thought, _What if his brain explodes from all the love and happiness in there. _

"Hey Hiei," Sira said. "Ignore the lights and pay attention to me." She took a deep breath as she tried to make her voice sound ghostly. "Imagine yourself in a cemetery. Surrounded by gravestones." She waved her hands in the air. "A wolf howls and suddenly rotted hands shoots from the graves. Ooooohhhhh!"

Hiei looked at her like she was an idiot. "What are you doing?"

"Keeping your brain from exploding. Now pay attention." She went back to her spooky voice. "There is blood everywhere. Dripping." She wiggled her fingers. "Blood and…more blood…um…er…did I mention there was blood?"

Hiei glared. "You suck at this."

Sira glared back at him. "Well, thanks for stabbing my feelings and leaving them to die." She sat back in her seat and crossed her arms across her chest. "Don't come crying to me when your brain explodes from the overload of happiness and love in here."

"Hn," Hiei said as he looked away.

They sat in silence for a few minutes as they endured the cheesy love song that seemed to be coming from somewhere over their heads.

Suddenly the lights went out. Sira let out a shriek as she grabbed onto Hiei's arm.

"Get off of me," Hiei said with clinched teeth.

"We're going to die," Sira yelled. "I hate the dark."

Hiei sighed, his crimson eyes glaring at her. "You're afraid of the dark yet you can't stand a light on when you want to sleep."

"Yeah," Sira frowned. "So." Her eyes widened. "Hey, wait a minute. How do _you _know I sleep in the dark?"

The lights turned back on and a woman stood on the tip of the boat. She had waist length pink hair with matching eyes. Her garb was white and seemed Grecian. Sira's nostrils flared as she was overwhelmed with the smell of roses and cherries.

The woman's hands were clenched at her sides as she glared at them. "No, no, no, this is all wrong." She stamped her foot. "This is the part where you declare your undying love for one another."

Sira started at her blankly while Hiei tried to reach for his sword.

"What?" Sira said after a moment.

The woman rolled her eyes. "You two are so unromantic. I, Cupid, the goddess of love, find this intolerable."

Sira blinked. "Uh, isn't Cupid a guy?"

"Silence," Cupid said as she stomped her foot. The boat split in half sending Sira floating one way and Hiei the other.

Cupid jumped onto Hiei's half. "You two should be punished." She sighed as she glanced at Sira. "Unfortunately, my boss wants you unharmed." She turned her attention back to Hiei. "You, however, are expendable."

Fire flared in Hiei's hands while Cupid smirked at him. Although Sira knew that Hiei could probably beat her with his eyes closed, she was still worried. He was trapped in the boat and was surrounded by water. Cupid could just tip the boat over and Hiei would be done for.

_I have to think,_ Sira watched as the two glared at each other. _She's overly romantic. There's got to be something that will make her stop._

"Wait," Sira said. "You can't."

Cupid glanced at her with one eyebrow raised. "And why not?"

Sira blurted out the first excuse that could come to her mind. "I'm having his baby!"

* * *

As they waited in line for one of the rides, Tori noticed that a nearby stand was selling freshly cut roses. Even from the distance she was at, she could tell that they were beautiful.

"I'm glad to see you like roses," Kurama said.

She looked up at him. "Actually, if you want to be exact, my favorite are sapphire blue roses."

Kurama eyes widened in surprise. "Really."

"Yeah," Tori grinned as she gazed back at the roses. "When I graduated high school, my parents surprised me with a bouquet of them." She rubbed the back of her neck. "I loved them so much that I actually dried them out and kept them on my desk."

"Good to know," Kurama said with a sly smile. "Though I've found that red roses are more reliable."

"I'll take your word for it," She frowned as she noticed a figure moving through the crowd. "Is that Socrates?"

* * *

"…his twin brother who was sent from Switzerland used me to get to Hiei." Sira said as she tried her best to look dramatic. "I thought I could handle it since I was scarred from the traumatic event that happened in my past."

Hiei was giving her a look that pretty much said: What the hell? Are you on crack? She ignored him since Cupid seemed totally enthralled in her story. Her eyes shimmered in delight from her seated position on Hiei's half of the boat.

"Go on," She said. "Go on."

"So," Sira said slowly as her brain tried to think up more excuses. "When I met him, I fell in love. He was the only person who showed me a bit of kindness even though I have selflessly helped everyone I knew."

Cupid sniffed as she wiped a tear from her eye. "So sad."

"I thought I could never have him," Sira bowed her head to hide her smile. She was finding it hard to not laugh. "There was this beautiful supermodel who was jealous of my natural beauty since she had to have plastic surgery to have hers. She tried to poison me." She held her hand to her forehead. "But, Hiei saved me."

Hiei now looked as if he wanted to kill her.

"It turns out," She smiled sweetly at Hiei. "Hiei loved me too but he was too emotionally scarred from his own past trauma that he couldn't admit his feelings to me." She let out a sigh. "And thus, we bonded over our tragedies. However, no one wanted us together so we've had to keep our love a secret." She smirked at Hiei. "Isn't that right, shmockoms?'

"A secret romance," Cupid let out a squeal. "Screw my boss. I can't ruin this romance." She pushed Hiei's boat towards Sira's. "Don't worry, I'll keep your secret." She waved to them. "Good luck with the baby."

She disappeared. As soon as she did, the bar let go and they were able to slide out.

"Wow," Sira said as they exited the ride. "I never thought a Mary Sue story would save my life."

"If I ever see that idiot again, I will kill her," Hiei said.

"She wasn't that bad," She paused. "A little psycho but not bad."

"And," Hiei turned to glare at her. "If you ever call me shmockoms again, I will burn you alive."

"Yes sir," Sira gave him a mock salute. "By the way, I just saved your life." She smirked. "If it wasn't for my ingenuity you would be dead. You so owe me now."

Hiei flashed his sword.

Sira frowned. "Kill joy."

Up ahead, Sira saw Tori and the others looking frantically around in the crowd.

"Tori" Sira yelled as she ran towards her.

Tori's face lit up as she ran to meet her. "Sira."

The girls embraced.

"I'm so so sorry," They both said at the same time.

"I should have supported you," Sira said.

"And I shouldn't have been such an ass," Tori said.

"Let's never fight again," Sira and Tori hugged again.

"Deal."

"Finally," Yusuke said as they walked up. "I thought you two would never make up."

"It's so touching," Kuwabara said with a sob.

Yusuke looked at him weirdly. "Are you crying?"

"Shut it Urameshi."

"Hey," Tori said as she turned her attention back to Sira. "How about you and I go on some rides?"

Sira grinned. "I'd like that."

"You should be careful which ride you go on," Hiei said as he walked by and patted her stomach. "Don't want to jostle it now do we?"

He flitted away as she stared at him in amazement. "Holy shit. He has a sense of humor." She glanced back at the others and saw them looking at her weirdly. "Eh, heh, heh, heh," She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Yeah, that's kind of a long story."

* * *

Cupid had failed but Socrates wasn't all that upset about it. She had merely been a diversion. Something to keep them distracted while he worked. He grinned as he admired his handiwork. Stroking Daragon, he said. "Soon, everything will turn in my favor."

* * *

L.A.: I bet all of you were thinking this was going to be a fluffy chapter.

Amu: Instead you decide to have Sira tell a Mary Sue story.

L.A.: By the way, part of the story she said was actually in a previous chapter. Brownie points to anyone who knows where she got it from.

Amu: By the way, the annoying bird has been caged.

Pink Bird: Feeling alone but still feeling the love.

Amu: Wow…

L.A.: I know (sighs) Why me?


	35. An Interesting Development Occurs

An Interesting Development Occurs

* * *

L.A.: So…yeah… I've had a lot of work and family emergencies but I'm back again.

Amu: (gives L.A. death glare)

L.A.: I know, I know, I should have updated sooner but to get your forgiveness I've made this chapter really long, 13 pages to be exact, and hopefully enjoyable.

Amu: (sighs) You should appreciate your readers. You have abnormal updates yet they still follow you.

L.A.: Speaking of which. I've just hit over 300 reviews! (does happy dance) That is so awesome.

Amu: (does happy dance as well)

L.A.: Anyway for those of you who guessed that part of Sira's story came from the chapter A Miraculous Bonding Occurs over Soap Operas, you guessed correctly.

Amu: Hoozah! You get brownie points.

L.A.: Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

UpperClassK9: Thanks for the review! Glad you thought the chapter was interesting.

Demon of my heart and mind: Thanks for the review! No, not tamaki's emo corner! Whenever Tamaki goes into his emo corner we have to endure his mind theatre. Good thing the twins are always there to snap him out of it. Now, if there could be a second season I would be so happy. And, I would let you kill the pink bird but unfortunately it lives in my mind and never leaves…evil bird…

sourpatchkids 12: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked it.

Noyesgirl: Thanks for the review! This chapter a filler? Possibly, but it did have a purpose…which you will find out later.

midnightwolf 62: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked it.

Valinor's Twilight: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked the Hiei part.

Angel of Randomosity: Thanks for the review! Ah, Karasu and Sesshoumaru. Yesh, they are powerful but remember that I am writing a story that has Hiei, Yusuke, and Kurama. Since Amu is my muse their fates hang with her.

Out-Of-Control-Authoress: Thanks for the review! Oh, yeah, I'm glad you liked the line. I'm so glad my characterization and humor is still good.

DoilyRox: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like the Hiei part. I was debating for a while whether to keep it or not. (grins evilly as she eats cookie) Thanks for the cookie!

Yume Ninja: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked Cupid. I came up with her originally in the beginning of this story and knew I had to put her in somewhere.

xEpIcxXxfAiLx: Thanks for the review! Awesome! You got it right. Glad to see that you were paying attention.

DaAmazingMeepers: Thanks for the review! Yep, you're absolutely correct. Glad you enjoyed it.

Spidey meets Wizard-Theif: Thanks for the review! Ha, yeah, I guess Haku is their baby in a sense. I'm glad you liked the line. Unfortunately there won't be any more 'gods' showing up. Well, Greek gods anyway.

Puppetplay: Thanks for the review! Yep you're right. As for the brownie point? I have no idea. It was something the brownies did. I always saw them meet in middle school but I refused to join them or the girl scouts.

Shiningheart of ThunderClan: Thanks for the review! Yep, you were half right. Glad you liked it.

Dragongirl8507: Thanks for the review! I'm glad to hear that you're going to write again. I'm glad that this story encouraged you. It makes me feel proud.

Angel61991: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. Just own my crazy characters, my crazy muse, and my crazy mind.

* * *

The foxes scurried about the castle. Their eyes were wide and they winced at the loud booming sound that echoed through the building.

"We're all doomed," Despair, a gray fox, howled as she covered her ears.

"Don't give up yet," Hope, a pink fox, said. "It's not over yet."

"Where the hell is the Argos?" A red fox, Wrath, said as he stamped his foot.

At that moment, the doors burst opened. All the foxes cowered as a figure emerged from the darkness. Their eyes widened as they saw a clawed hand. In that hand was the Argos. The Argos let out an aguish cry as it thrashed about in the figure's grip.

The figure laughed. "You are no longer in control, Argos." It tightened its hold on the Argos. "I am in control now." The castle rumbled as the foxes stood frozen in place.

A white fox shakily turned to his siblings. "What do we do now?" Fear whispered.

* * *

In celebration of making up, Tori and Sira decided to have a good old fashion slumber party. After changing into their pajamas and raiding the kitchen for everything unhealthy, they headed back to Tori's bedroom.

As they passed the den, they saw Genkai in her arm chair reading a newspaper. She glanced up at them and smirked. "Enjoy that while you can cause tomorrow at 6 am you start training."

"What?" Tori said as her eyes widened.

"No fair," Sira added.

"Suck it up, wimps" Genkai said as she went back to her newspaper.

Once they were in the safety of Tori's room, Tori let out a sigh. "Well, that just ruined my mood."

"Sometimes I think Genkai's is the spawn of the devil," Sira said as she dumped her snacks on the ground.

Tori held a finger up to her lips. "Shh! Not so loud. If she hears you, she might make our practice worse."

Sira looked quickly towards the door before whispering, "good point."

They goofed off for a couple of hours while they enjoyed eating their junk food. It was near one when they finally settled down. Tori and Sira were sprawled out on their sleeping bags in a sugar induced stupor. Akira and Haku were already curled up and fast asleep.

"Hey Tori," Sira whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Are you asleep?"

"Yes, I'm just talking in my sleep," She rolled over and grinned at Sira.

"Ha, ha, very funny." Sira propped her head on her hand. "But I do have a serious question."

Tori sat up. "Alright, what?"

Sira frowned as she tried to phrase her question in her head. "How…are you able to let yourself be close to them?"

Tori raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"How can you act like we're all best buds considering the circumstances?"

"You're friends with them too," Tori said.

"I know," Sira sighed. "It's just… even though I like spending time with them, I put up a barrier. We're going to go home eventually. When we do, we aren't going to be able to see them, call them, or email them. It will be as if they were nothing more than a fantasy."

Tori flopped back on her sleeping bag. "You know, I don't look at it that way." She put her arms behind her head. "So, we might not see them again but that doesn't mean we should just ignore them. I mean, come on, we are living the dream that every fan girl wishes they could have. How could we not enjoy this?" She played with the draw string on her pajama pants. "We may not see them again but at least we'll have the memories." She glared when she noticed Sira grinning. "And yes, I do realize how cheesy that just sounded."

Sira lay down as well. "Hm, when you put it like that…"

"Just try to relax," Tori said. "Forget the stupid rules to your stories that you keep relying on. For once, just go with the flow and see where it leads."

"You totally just sounded like a hippie," Sira said.

Tori playfully smacked her arm. "Shut up, smart ass."

"I was wondering," Sira grinned mischievously. "Is Kurama as good of a kisser as all his fan girls think he is?"

Tori blushed. "Well, he is Yoko Kurama."

They both giggled.

Tori turned over in her bag. "Anyway, we should probably get some sleep. We've got training with Genkai tomorrow."

"Ugh," Sira said as she slammed a pillow into her face. "Why did you have to remind me?"

* * *

It was early in the morning when Tori woke up in a cold sweat. Her heart was racing as she quickly surveyed the room. She wasn't sure what had triggered this sudden alertness, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to fall back to sleep until she figured out why. She became rigid when a faint sound reached her ears. It was a crackling sound almost like the static on a radio.

She glanced at Sira and saw that she and Haku were still fast asleep. Her hand reached out for Akira but all she felt was the cold floor. _Now where did he get to? _She thought as she stood up.

The static sounded suddenly hissed loudly before fading into background noise. Tori frowned. _Okay, someone needs to stop playing with the radio. _She walked over to the window and peered out.

It was a cloudless night allowing the almost full moon to shine. As her eyes traveled over the scenery, she spotted Akira. He was perched on top of a rock and staring intently at the moon.

Tori grabbed a light weight jacket and quietly tip-toed out of the room. When she went outside, she saw that Akira was still in the same exact position.

"Contacting your boss?" Tori asked as she came to sit down beside him. Although it was still dark, the morning dew had already settled on the grass causing her a slight chill.

Akira frowned as he continued to stare, transfixed at the sky. "Sometime doesn't seem quite right. I do believe my brothers and sisters are in a plight."

Tori's eyes widened. "Wait, you have brothers and sisters?"

"Over two hundred, yes," Akira said. "But the Argos likes me the best."

Tori rolled her eyes. _Someone's got a big ego. _

The static sound roared loudly once more before completely fading away.

"Did you hear that?" She asked.

Akira nodded. "Someone is picking up waves from the ionosphere. I wonder who could be picking them up here."

Tori remembered from her science class that at night the ionosphere bounced radio waves so that one could pick up radio stations they would normally not get. Looking back at Akira, she could see that he was upset. "What do you think is wrong with your brothers and sisters?"

"I don't know," Akira said as he shook his head. "I'm probably just paranoid but something doesn't feel right."

Now, Tori was beginning to get worried. Akira was so distracted by this problem that he had forgotten to rhyme.

* * *

"I…think… I pulled…my spleen," Sira panted as she doubled over. It was around noon when Genkai finally decided to give them a break from practicing. Genkai hadn't been kidding when she said it would be tough. Every muscle in the girls' bodies were aching.

"You can't pull your spleen," Tori said as she leaned against the temple's wall for support.

"I know," Sira stood back up. "But I still think I pulled it."

"Alright, wimps," Genkai said as she walked up to them. "Break's over."

"What?" Tori said.

"But we just stopped two minutes ago," Sira whined.

"If you don't want to be demon food then you need to keep practicing," Genkai said as she crossed her arms.

"I'll be demon food if it means I get a longer break and water," Sira said.

"I second that," Tori raised her hand.

Genkai groaned. "Fine, go get water and meet me back here in twenty minutes." She turned and walked away. As soon as she was out of sight, both girls collapsed on the ground.

Yukina came out of the temple and walked toward them. "I thought I'd help you two out," she said as she held up two water bottles.

"Yukina, you are amazing," Tori said as she took a water bottle.

"Yeah, ditto from me," Sira took the other one. As she sipped from her bottle, she looked around. "You've haven't seen Haku by any chance?"

Yukina shook her head. "No, why?"

"I think he has fleas," She said. "He's been scratching a lot and when I went to confront him about it, he ran and hid from me."

"Yikes," Tori said.

"Anyway, I better go find him," Sira said as she waved and headed off. It took her ten minutes, but she was finally able to find Haku. He was hiding in a flower garden. She crossed her arms. "I don't know why you are hiding from me. I just want to help."

Haku shook his head as he tried to hide further in the garden.

Sira tapped her foot. "Haku…"

She jumped as someone landed behind her. Whirling around, she saw Hiei looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Your spirit beast has fleas," Sira said.

"Hn," Hiei crossed his arms.

"You should take better care of your spirit beast," Sira frowned. "I'm not going to be able to take care of him forever, you know."

"Then let him die," Hiei said.

Sira clinched her fists. "Ugh! You're so…" She stamped her foot. "ugh!"She turned away and walked off.

"You should quit messing with her," Kurama said as he walked up to Hiei.

Hiei smirked. "It's amusing."

"You're growing too attached," Kurama said.

Hiei glared at him.

"I've known you long enough to know you would not spend so much time with someone you despise."

"I tolerate her because she is amusing," Hiei said. "You should keep that advice to yourself."

Kurama's eyes narrowed. "Tori and I have an understanding."

"If you say so," Hiei flitted away before Kurama could comment.

* * *

Sira stood outside the temple door, taking deep breaths. She hated how Hiei made her emotions go all over the place. "I just don't get Hiei," Sira said with a sigh. "He can be sort of nice but then he's an ass. Then he can be sort of funny but then he's an ass." Her eyes widened as realization hit her. "Oh god." She quickly ran to the kitchen. "Tori!"

Tori and Yukina were both in the kitchen. They seemed startled by Sira's panicked expression.

"Sira, are you alright?" Tori asked.

"I'm attracted to an ass." Sira sobbed.

"Uh," Tori patted Sira's back.

Yukina gave a confused look. Tori shook her head and mouthed. "I have no idea."

* * *

Since Sira was upset, Genkai had to cancel the rest of practice. It took a glass of coke and a batch of Yukina's cookies for Sira to finally calm down. By then though, she wasn't in the mood to talk about her breakdown. Since Tori was her best friend, she understood that Sira didn't want to talk…but she still wanted to know anyway.

"Come on, Sira, tell me." Tori whined. "I'll be your best friend."

Sira glared at her. "What are we, four?"

"Four was a good year for me. I started my littlest pet shop collection then," Tori said.

Luckily for Sira, the boys decided to enter the room at that moment.

"So, you have to leave tonight?" Kuwabara asked.

Kurama nodded. "It would be better for all of us."

Sira frowned. "What's tonight?"

"Demon's moon," Yusuke said. "It happens once a month."

"It heightens demon's powers," Kurama said. "The only problem is that our demon side becomes more prominent making us a danger."

"Oh," Sira said. "So, it's like a demon's time of the month."

Silence filled the room.

"Sira," Yusuke said as his eye twitched. "Don't ever call it that again."

Sira rolled her eyes. "What is it with guys? You freak out with anything related to feminine problems."

"We do not," Yusuke said.

"Oh, yeah?" Sira stood up. "Periods, tampons, pads, menstrual cycle."

The three boys winced.

"Please stop," Kuwabara shifted from one foot to the other.

"Ha, I rest my case," She grinned as she held up two fingers. "Peace, I'm leaving." She exited the room, leaving them all very confused.

"You'll have to excuse her," Tori said. "I think Genkai's training has gotten to her head. I'm actually surprised it hasn't gotten to my head."

They nodded in understanding. Any normal person would be scarred by Genkai's training.

"So, Yusuke," Tori said, "since you're half demon, are you affected by this demon moon?"

"Sort of," Yusuke shrugged. "Keiko says I get grouchier."

Kuwabara snorted. "Like that's new."

Yusuke glared at him. "What did you say, carrot top?"

"You heard me." Kuwabara said.

Both the boys started fighting. Kurama and Tori quickly stepped to the side.

"You know," Tori said slowly. "If Sira were still here, she'd probably start shouting Jerry."

Kurama frowned. "Jerry?"

"I forgot, you've spent most of your time in Makai. You probably have no idea who Jerry Springer is." Tori paused. "So, do you turn into Youko Kurama or something during this demon moon?"

Kurama nodded. "Yes, I do, which is why I need to get as far away from here as possible. If I took advantage of you, I wouldn't forgive myself."

_Well, I don't think I'd mind, _Tori thought as a dreamy smile crossed her face.

"Is something wrong?" Kurama asked.

Tori blushed as she looked away. "Uh, nope. I'm fine."

Genkai chose that moment to enter the room and separated the two boys.

* * *

It was around one when Sira woke up to the sound of static. _Who left the radio on?_ Sira thought as she sat up. Haku was passed out beside her. The trauma from the flea bath hours earlier had taken its toll. She winced as her body protested to the sudden movement. It was going to take awhile for Sira to recover from Genkai's training session.

However, her curiosity got the better of her. She crept out of her room in search of the strange static sound. She looked for the source for ten minutes. When she reached the kitchen the static sound faded away.

"Okay, odd." Sira said. She glanced at the fridge and grinned. "Since I'm here I might as well have some ice cream."

* * *

Hiei sighed in frustration as he rearranged himself against the tree. He hated demon moons. They always made him feel restless. His senses were heightened making him aware of everything.

His nostrils flared as a smell greeted his nose. It was chocolate sweet snow… and her…

He knew it wasn't wise but he found his body moving on its own accord. He flitted from tree to tree until he was perched right above her.

She was sitting on the temple's steps eating chocolate sweet snow. He was surprised to see that her hair was down. She usually had it in a ponytail and out of the way. He suddenly had an urge to run his fingers through her hair. He shook his head. Stupid demon moon. Always made him hunger for stuff he didn't really want.

Sira jumped slightly when Hiei landed in front of her. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be away because of the demon moon?"

"No," He said as he snatched the ice cream and spoon away from her.

Her eyes widened. "That's _my_ ice cream. Give it back."

He took a bite. "It's good sweet snow."

Sira's eyes narrowed. "For the last time, it's ice cream. Not sweet snow, ice cream. And, it's mine!"

"Hn," Hiei said as he took another bite.

Sira sighed. "Will you at least share?"

They both sat down on the steps as they passed the spoon. She knew should be grossed out but at the moment she was too tired to get another spoon. Probably, she should feel honored that Hiei actually bothered to share at all.

"So," she said, "What were you doing?"

"I was in a tree."

"Are you always in a tree?" Sira asked.

"A tree is a good place to rest." Hiei said as he took another spoonful of ice cream. "Your back is always protected, it's a perfect vantage point, good cover, and no one can sneak up on you without hitting a branch."

"Huh," Sira said as she leaned back on her hands. "Never thought of that."

They sat in silence as they continued to eat. She didn't want to admit it, but she was enjoying herself. She could see the stars twinkling in the sky. Although she had never wanted to go camping, it was nice nights like these that she thought she could enjoy a night under the sky.

Hiei shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He had always had side effects to the demon moon but he had always been in control. Sitting next to her right now was almost unbearable. He needed to get away before something happened.

He frowned. Why did he care though? Why did he care if he accidentally lost control and took advantage of her? It didn't matter that she was under Koenma's protection. It hadn't stopped him before. So, why was this different?

He blinked as a hand was waved in front of his face.

"Uh, hello?" Sira said. "Earth to Hiei. Are you there?"

Before he realized what he was doing, he reached out and grabbed her hand.

Sira protested but she stopped when he picked up her and pushed her against the wall. He grabbed her other wrist and pinned them over her head.

She wasn't scared like he thought she would be. No, she looked more annoyed. "What the heck, Hiei? I didn't even touch you."

Her scent engulfed him. He had never found himself so enthralled by a human before. Her blue eyes seemed to shine in the night as a whispie fell across her face. He found he wanted her to whisper his name. He wanted her to belong to him and no one else.

_Stupid demon moon,_ He thought. _I don't care about this human._ And, yet he found he couldn't step back.

"Hiei," Sira began.

That was all it took for his control to break.

* * *

Sira let out a gasp as Hiei leaned forward and kissed her. That thought soon vanished as her mind shut down and her body took over. His kiss was lustful yet she still felt passion behind it. She could taste the chocolate ice cream and she found herself kissing back. She wiggled her arms out of Hiei's grip and wrapped them around his neck. He pressed his body against her barely leaving any space in between. His hands roamed her body sending pleasant chills running down her spine.

The sound of static shattered the moment. Hiei immediately stepped back, his hand hovering over his sword. Sira took several deep breaths as she tried to look for the source of the sound. After a moment, the static sound faded once more. Sira turned back to Hiei to see that he was gone.

It was at that moment that her mind decided to work again. Her eyes widened as a blush crept over her face. "What the hell was that?"

* * *

Socrates' knuckles were almost white from gripping Daragon's hilt so hard. How dare that fire demon take advantage of the girl. He would pay.

Socrates knew though he had to wait. With the demon moon out he wasn't in the correct state of mind to enact his plan.

He grinned as he glanced off the right. He could hear the soft hum of his machine as it slowly rebooted. "Soon," he whispered. "Very soon."

* * *

L.A.: Er…surprise?

Amu: So yeah, this was the chapter that everyone was expecting last chapter.

L.A.: I plan to finish this story by the end of August. So, I will be doing at least a chapter a week maybe even more.

Amu: That is if she doesn't get the 'Ah, my story's almost over, I don't want it to end' syndrome

L.A.: Anywho, you know what to do. Read and review!


	36. Socrates' Final Act

Socrates' Final Act

* * *

L.A.: (is collapsed on the floor)

Amu: (shakes head) That's what happens when you allow yourself to go on a writing frenzy.

L.A.: (twitches) My hands…cramping…

Amu: (sighs) What's she's trying to say is that along with updating this story, she added two new stories. The first is _Simple Musings 2: The Return of the Gnome_ and the other is a Kingdom Hearts fic. called_ Oddball. _Check them out and leave reviews if you're bored.

L.A.: (is passed out)

Amu: Er…okay then, on with the chapter!

Out-Of-Control-Authoress: Thanks for the review! Oh, I'm so glad you liked the Hiei kiss. I always get nervous when I write romance scenes. I'm afraid I'm going to ruin the entire story.

Pop-virgo97: Thanks for the review! At least this time I updated faster. Yeah, I spent one and half hours (not even kidding) trying to work with that scene without totally losing Hiei's character. I'm glad it worked.

White Rose Fox: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked my story!

Angel of Randomosity: Thanks for the review! Meh, that sounds like a lot of work. Amu's on her own. (Amu in background: What you abandoned me? You're the worst authoress ever!)

UpperClassK9: Thanks for the review! Yeah, Socrates likes Sira but not in the: I want to marry you and make babies way. More of the: You are my toy and I will do what I want with you way.

Kariko: Thanks for the review! Yeah, my writing tends to have a lot of dialogue. I've been trying to work with adding description so hopefully it is getting better.

Rosewhip889: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you are enjoying it.

Valinor's Twilight: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked it.

DaAmazingMeepers: Thanks for the review! I'm so glad you liked it. Like I've said before, I stress out when I do romantic scenes because I'm worried I'll ruin the character.

The Wild Thing That Was: Thanks for the review! Yay, I'm glad you liked it.

Spidey meets Wizard-Theif: Thanks for the review! Hmm, that would be an interesting machine. I would feel sorry for the poor dogs. Spidey, glad you liked it and the foxes. They're my favorite too. WT, to answer your question, yes, you should worry about Youko…

Dragongirl8507: Thanks for the review! Yay for the happy dance of ultimate doom (does own version of happy dance) Glad you liked it.

Angel61991: Thanks for the review! Glad you liked it.

ChojisGirl: Thanks for the review! You stayed up till 5 am to finish reading? (feels honored)

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I just own my over-exhausted mind.

* * *

Someone was brushing a strand of hair out of her face when Tori woke up. It was a rather pleasant sensation until her mind started working. Alarmed, her eyes shot open. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw who was sitting at the edge of her bed.

Youko Kurama grinned. "So, you are finally awake."

"I thought you went far away," Tori said as she unconsciously pulled her blanket closer to her.

"Shuichi thought he had gotten far enough," He said. "But, I am a fox demon so I have a great sense of smell."

"Uh-huh," Tori said, suddenly feeling nervous. The famous fox demon thief was sitting at the edge of her bed, pondering her like one would ponder a prize. Most girls would be squealing right now in excitement. Right now, she just wanted to get out of the room. This was probably because he could take her at any moment and there was nothing she could do about it. She wasn't sure why this upset her. Maybe it was because she felt it would be cheating on the other Kurama. But then again, they weren't serious so why did it matter?

"You know," Youko leaned forward. "Shuichi's taken quite an interest in you."

"I like the red-haired version of you better than the white-haired," Tori blurted out.

"Oh, how cute," He said as he leaned even closer. "You're nervous."

A blur of silver rushed in between them. Akira stood protectively in Tori's lap.

"I'm being a nuisance that I can plainly see," He glared up at Youko, "but, personally I'd rather not have the discussion about the bird and the bee."

Though embarrassing, Tori was glad that Akira had chosen to intervene.

Youko and Akira glared at each other for a long moment before Youko leaned back. "Hmm, it's seems I've been overruled."

Tori had a feeling that it hadn't just been Akira who made him back off.

"Pleasant dreams, Tori," He said. He disappeared a moment later. Still suspicious, Tori checked around her room before determining that he was indeed gone.

"Come back to bed," Akira whined as he went back to his place at the end of her bed. "I already feel like I am dead."

"Thanks for the help back there," Tori said. "You do know that it's called the birds and the bees though."

Akira just grunted as he closed his eyes.

With an exhausted yawn, Tori collapsed on her bed. _Being involved with demons can be so stressful,_ she thought as her eyes slowly fluttered closed.

* * *

Sira was in a foul mood. She hadn't been able to fall asleep after the incident with Hiei. She stared moodily in the mirror as she brushed her hair. Haku sat on her bed, cocking his head curiously.

"It was just a kiss," Sira muttered as she slammed her brush on o a table. "It wasn't even that good."

She noted that she felt as if she had butterflies in her stomach whenever she thought of him. "I'm just hungry." She said as she stomped out of her room with Haku trotting behind her.

Tori and Yukina were already in the kitchen, busy chatting away.

Sira pulled herself into a chair and rested her head on her arms.

"Somebody didn't wake up on the right side of the bed," Tori teased. She seemed very pleased that Sira was tired. "Did you not sleep well?"

Sira looked up and glared. "Hn," Her eyes widened as her hands went over her mouth.

Tori stood stunned. "Did you just…"

Sira shook her head. "No."

A grin slowly appeared on Tori's face. "You did, didn't you?"

"It was your imagination."

Tori crossed her arms and smirked. "You just hn'ed me."

"Lies!" Sira quickly slid off her stool and bolted.

"Oh no," Tori said as she quickly ran after her. "Something happened last night and you're going to tell me."

"Leave me alone," Sira yelled back. She nearly collided with Kuwabara but managed to avoid him.

"What the hell is going on?" He asked as Tori ran by.

"Sira just hn'ed me," Tori said with glee.

"Get this crazy person away from me" Sira said as she bolted out of the door. She stopped short as she stared up, wide-eyed at the sky.

"Not until you… Whoa," Tori said as she stopped and stared as well.

The sky had changed from its beautiful blue self to an ominous purple hue.

"Are you guys okay?" Yusuke called out while Kuwabara and Yukina followed him.

They stopped when they saw the stupefied girls.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine," Sira said sarcastically, "Just one question. Why the hell is the sky purple?"

"Good question," Kuwabara said as the others stared up at the sky as well.

"It's a spirit barrier," a voice said behind them. "It blocks people from using their spirit energy."

Socrates floated before them. He was smirking and had a copy of Joseph Conrad's _Heart of Darkness _tucked under his arm. Sira didn't miss the irony.

Kuwabara smirked. "Heh, like that can stop us." He held out his hand, calling his sword. Nothing happened.

Socrates laughed as he landed. "You're going to have to fight on skill alone." He brandished a sword. "But, I do believe I have the advantage."

The girls watched in horror as Socrates, Yusuke, and Kuwabara began to fight. Yukina ran back inside, probably to find Genkai.

Kuwabara and Yusuke were good fighters, Sira had to give them that. She knew though, that they wouldn't last forever. Plus, it was rather obvious that Socrates wasn't affected by the spirit barrier. He moved with incredible ease and was even able to shoot a few balls of spiritual energy at them.

_Think, _she winced as she saw Yusuke narrowly miss the sword. _There's got to be something we can do._

Sira felt something bump her leg. Looking down, she saw Haku and Akira standing protectively beside them.

"Any ideas," Tori asked.

They winced and covered their ears when the static sound filled the air once more.

"Someone needs to turn that radio off," Sira said. Both girls' eyes widened as they stared at one another.

"That sound must be coming from the machine generating this barrier," Tori said.

"Hey Akira, Haku," Sira said. "Do you think you can smell it out?"

Akira's hair on his back was raised. "Are you living in a fog? I am certainly not a dog."

"At least try," Tori said.

Haku sniffed the ground. He let out a howl as he bounded off into the forest.

Without hesitation Tori, Sira, and Akira followed. Haku led them on a twisting path through the forest. Sira was beginning to think that Haku had no idea where he was going until he came to an abrupt stop in a clearing up ahead. With his tongue hanging out, he wagged his tail proudly.

A strange looking machine stood in the center of the clearing. It looked like a giant boom box with five antennas sticking out at odd angles.

"Good job Haku," Sira said as she patted him on the head. "If your job as a spirit beast fails, you could be a bomb sniffing dog."

Tori cautiously crept forward and peered at the machine. "Question is how do you turn it off?"

The girls looked around the machine but could not find any knobs or buttons.

"Maybe the antennas?" Tori said as she reached out to grab one. She immediately recoiled when the antenna crackled. "Or maybe not."

"You know," Sira said slowly, "I'm surprised Socrates left this unguarded. I mean he should have expected us to come and look for it and…"

She was cut off by two loud thumps.

Both girls slowly turned around. Two giant brown spiders stood before them. They had giant rib-like bones jutting up from their backs and forming together on top like a cage.

Tori turned and glared at Sira. "You just had to go and bring that up."

"Why did it have to be spiders," Sira said as her eye twitched. "Why couldn't it have been giant butterflies?"

They scooped up Akira and Haku, closed their eyes, and screamed as the spiders charged at them. When they opened their eyes again they were each in the bone cage on top of the spiders.

"I had a feeling you would try and stop me," Socrates said as he stepped from the shrubbery. "So, I brought the cage spiders as an insurance policy."

"Well, that's an original name," Sira muttered sarcastically.

"What did you do to Yusuke and Kuwabara?" Tori said with a glare.

"They're a little preoccupied at the moment," Socrates said with a sly grin. Tori hoped that didn't mean that they were dead.

"Now," He said. "I think we should leave."

He was interrupted by the machine catching on fire. The machine short-circuited and the sky returned back to normal. A plant shot up from the ground and wrapped around Socrates as the cages split open.

The cage spiders let out a howl before retreating into the forest.

Tori found herself in Kurama's arms while Sira was in Hiei's.

"Hiei!" Sira said excitedly. Her smile quickly turned into a frown. "Oh wait, I'm mad at you."

Tori looked up at Kurama in confusion. "But how?"

"I don't know how but Genkai was able to open a hole in the barrier big enough for us to get in" Kurama said.

"Wow," Sira hopped out of Hiei's arms. "Genkai didn't just sit and read her newspaper? I'm impressed."

"You better hope she doesn't hear that," Tori said.

Socrates let out a growl as he fought with the plant.

"Hey!" Yusuke yelled as he and Kuwabara ran up. "You guys alright?"

"What happened to you?" Sira asked.

"The idiot threw smoke at us," Kuwuabara grumbled. "Had a time getting away from it."

At that moment, Socrates broke free from the plant. With a triumphant yell, he raised his sword over his head.

"And now I shall…" His face became ghostly white as he brought the sword to his face. "Master, please, I haven't failed just yet."

"He thinks his sword is his master?" Sira said with a raised eyebrow. "And, everyone thinks I'm odd."

"If you just…" He tried to drop the sword but he couldn't let go. "But, I checked for spells. There was nothing." His eyes widened. "No… no!"

To the horror of everyone around him, Socrates erupted into blue flames. His back arched so much that it looked like it would snap. He swayed back and forth for a moment before tumbling to the ground. The flames finished their work, leaving no trace of him.

"What just…happened?" Tori said slowly.

They all jumped as a deep booming laugh echoed around him.

"He got fired."

The boys stood around Sira and Tori trying to pinpoint where the voice was coming from.

The voice sighed. "Never send underlings to do your job." It laughed once more. "Now, it's my turn."

A bright light filled the area nearly searing their eyeballs. Then there was nothing but darkness.

* * *

Amu: Dun...dun…dun…

L.A.: And now, you are all going to hate me because I left you with an even bigger cliffhanger.

Amu: You're so going to be sent back to cliffhangers anonymous.

L.A.: (glares) Anywho, read and review!


	37. If This were Epic then There’d be a Fire

If This were Epic then There'd be a Fire Breathing Dragon…

* * *

Amu: Yay! So we're finally back.

L.A.: Work…so much work…

Amu: Excuse L.A., she's having a mental breakdown from her work.

L.A. : (opens text book) These books have no souls.

Amu: Anywho, hope you enjoy this chapter.

UpperClassK9: Thanks for the review! Yay, I'm glad you squealed. Got to love when the guys save the girls.

ChojisGirl: Thanks for the review! I'm glad this story is good for insomniacs

Puppetplay: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked that scene.

Demon of my heart and mind: Thanks for the review! I'm glad I get to meet your muse. Amu is also happy. She says that she's glad that she isn't the only one who has to be tortured by their…hey wait a minute… (glares at Amu) No pie for you. (Amu is sulking)

Valinor's Twilight: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Out-Of-Control-Authoress: Thanks for the review! Oh, yes, Yoko can be scary. As for why he stopped, he said he was outnumbered meaning that Suichi was also preventing him. Sorry if that was confusing.

DaAmazingMeepers: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked the hn'ed part.

Spidey meets Wizard-Theif: Thanks for the review! Yeah, Suichi was preventing him so it wasn't just Akira. Sorry if that was confusing.

Dragongirl8507: Thanks for the review! The deep laugh of evil is very creepy.

Angel of Randomosity: Thanks for the review! It's nice to meet your muse. Amu would say something but I've banned her since she insulted me last time. (Amu sticks tongue out at L.A.)

Yume Ninja: Thanks for the review! Yay, for demon moons! They're always entertaining

Rikoxriko: Thanks for the review! Yay, I'm a genius. Glad I'm entertaining.

AnimeWerdo55: Thanks for the review! Yep, if they win they go home. Kind of sad, huh?

Shiningheart of ThunderClan: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked the hn'ed part.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I do own this cold. Grrrrr…

* * *

Sira groaned as she slowly came back to the realms of consciousness. The first thing she noticed was that she was cold. She shivered violently as she opened her eyes. It was dark and the only sound was the dripping of water.

A moan to her right told her she wasn't alone. Glancing down, she saw Tori lying beside her.

"Tori," Sira said as she shook her shoulder. "Wake up."

"Just five more minutes," Tori murmured as she re-adjusted her position.

"Tori," Sira whined. "We're in a creepy dark room and the sound of dripping water is about to drive me insane."

Tori's eyes snapped open as she sat up. "Say What?"

They sat in silence for a few minutes as they tried to find some sort of discernable object.

"Wow," Tori said, "That dripping sound is annoying." Tori reached out blindly in front of her.

"What are you doing?" Sira asked.

"Trying to figure out where this room is," She frowned when her hand grasped something. "Bars?"

"Where in a cage?" Sira said as she came up next to Tori.

The lights became a dim glow allowing them to see clearer. With the new light, they found themselves staring at a pair of eyes.

Both girls shrieked as they backed into their cage.

"Will you calm down?" The Argos said as he walked forward. "It's just me."

"Molester!" Sira said. "What are you doing here?"

"I do have a name," The Argos said impatiently.

"And yet, you will always be known as Molester to me," Sira said.

A scuffling sound came from the cage as Akira and Haku appeared beside him.

"How did you two get in there?" Tori asked.

Haku whined while Akira shrugged.

"That isn't the point," Argos said, a hint of impatience in his voice.

"Are we in bird cages?" Sira said as she stared up at the ceiling. "What kind of sicko puts people in bird cages?"

"Will you two be quiet for a minute," The Argos hissed.

Tori and Sira immediately quieted.

"We don't have much time," The Argos said. "Have you two figured out why you're here?"

"No," Tori sighed. "Why can't you just tell us?"

"It doesn't work that way," The Argos said. "In order for you to save us, you have to figure it out on your own."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, save you?" Sira said. "Um, we're two human girls who are trapped as well. We aren't going to be doing any saving anytime soon."

"You…" The Argos' eyes widened as he looked away. He quickly turned back to them. "What do the writer and painter have in common?"

"What?" Tori said in confusion.

Dark tendrils stretched out and wrapped themselves around the Argos.

"What do the writer and painter have in common?" The Argos yelled one last time.

Seconds later he was swallowed by the dark tendrils. The tendrils faded back into the darkness leaving them alone once more.

* * *

Tori sighed as she readjusted her position against the cage. They had been sitting in silence for awhile. She was pretty sure that Sira was still thinking over the Argos' riddle. Tori couldn't figure it out. What could writers and painters do that could help save the world?

_I wish Kurama were here,_ Tori thought, _He'd know what to do._

"That's it," Sira said causing Tori to start.

"What's it?" Tori asked.

Sira wasn't listening. "How could I not realize it? It's so obvious." She grinned at Tori and said. "I'm going to get out of this cage."

Tori smirked. "How? We don't exactly have the key and who knows how far off the ground we are."

Sira's smile didn't waver. "Doesn't matter, I'm going to get out."

"Well, good luck," Tori said sarcastically.

Sira ignored her as she focused on the cage. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

To Tori's surprise, Sira walked right **through** the bars and stood floating in the air.

"What the?" Tori said as she scrambled to her feet.

"Think about it Tori," Sira said as she crossed her arms. "What do you and I have in common?"

"I don't know," Tori frowned. "I mean, we both have really over active imaginations which is what we need for art and writing."

"And…" Sira added.

"We're open-minded?" Tori sighed. "What does that have to do with you walking through bars? Unless…" Tori's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Wait, are you dead?"

"I'm not dead." Sira rolled her eyes. "But seriously, you remember I got dimension sickness and Koenma said it was because I wasn't from this world?"

"Yeah," Tori said slowly.

"Well, that the reason we can do this," Sira said as she stood up straighter.

Tori stared at her with a blank expression. "Say what?"

Sira groaned. "Tori, I love you but sometimes you are so dense."

"That's because you aren't making any sense," Tori said. "What does being imaginative, open-minded, and from a different dimension have to do with the fact that you are floating?"

"I got dimension sickness because I wasn't from here," Sira said slowly.

Tori's eye twitched. She was pretty sure Sira was talking to her as if she were a two-year-old.

"The reason why I got it was because I didn't belong in this world. The world rejected me," She leaned in. "Do you know why?"

"Do you want me to punch you?" Tori asked.

Sira stuck her tongue out. "Funny, no, the reason why is because we don't have to follow the rules here."

"Come again?"

"Think about it," Sira said as she began to pace. "We don't belong here so we never had to obey the rules that we are normally confined to."

Tori's eyes widened. "So, although we are normal humans in our world."

"We can be whatever we want in this world," Sira giggled. "I feel like I'm in a fan fiction right now."

"Wait a minute, "Tori said as she stood up and walked towards Sira. "If we could do this stuff then how come we couldn't do it before?"

"That's because we didn't think we could," Sira said. "Which comes to the reason why the molester chose us. You're a painter and I'm a writer so we both need to have imagination and open-mindedness. At the risk of sounding cheesy, we had to believe we could do it." She held out her hand. "Now try."

Tori frowned as she hesitantly reached towards Sira's hand. This was really confusing but she had to try. So, she closed her eyes and cleared her mind. She felt Sira take her hand and pull her forward.

"Open your eyes," Sira said.

Tori complied. She gasped as she realized she was out of the cage and floating beside Sira.

"What the hell," Tori said.

Both girls yelped as they suddenly fell to the ground.

"Ow," Sira whined. "We really need to work on this, huh?"

Tori nodded in agreement.

"If you're not too busy could you save us?" Akira asked as he peered from his cage. "Preferably, before this cage begins to rust."

"Okay, okay," Sira rolled her eyes. "I'll go get them, you wait here."

Tori nodded as she watched Sira go back to Haku and Akira. As she stood there, a horrible thought crossed her mind.

_If I can influence this world does that mean that Kurama only likes me because I wanted him to?_

* * *

"Okay, so I think we're lost," Sira said as she scratched her head. After getting out of the cages, the girls began to wander the halls. Sira thought that since they now could do what they wanted, they would be able to figure out where the others were being held and get out. Apparently it didn't work that way.

"Screw this," Sira muttered angry. "Our powers suck."

"So, just because we can't spontaneously know where everyone else is, our power sucks?" Tori asked.

"Yes, they do," Sira said as she crossed her arms.

"Come on, be positive," Tori said. "We're on an epic adventure just like we used to dream of when we were kids."

"Epic?" Sira scoffed. "This isn't epic. If it were epic, there'd be a giant fire-breathing dragon."

A hot mist hit their backs as a growl met their ears.

They both took a quick glance back before immediately looking forward again with pale faces.

Tori glared at Sira. "Really, you just had to say that?"

A loud roar filled their ears as they screamed and took off running.

* * *

L.A. : And, that's the end of this chapter.

Amu: We're so close to the end it's scary.

L.A.: Tis true. And now, because I'm sick, I'm ending this. (goes to bed)

Amu: (stands awkwardly) Well okay then. I guess just read and review. (whimpers) L.A.? Come back?


	38. To Save the World, Act Like a FiveYear

To Save the World, Act Like a Five-Year-Old

* * *

L.A.: Yay! I have returned. I bet you all thought I quit on the story. Sadly, my life has been so hectic that this is the first time I have had to work on it

Amu: (is hiding behind random sofa)

L.A.: Why are you hiding behind the random sofa?

Amu: I'm prepared for when you are attacked by your readers.

L.A.: Eh, well hopefully you'll forgive me since this chapter is extra long. Also, I'm not doing review responses in the story. Instead, I'll respond to you personally. I figured you didn't want to have to read a full page of replies before getting to the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I do though own my characters, and the cowardly Amu. (Amu: I heard that!)

* * *

Kurama was starting to get really annoyed with this place. He and Hiei had woken up in a cell, chained to the walls. With some clever maneuvering, they were able to get free. They had wandered the halls for an hour without seeing a soul.

Hiei paused up ahead as his frown deepened. "Do you hear that?"

Kurama faintly heard the sound of footsteps. "Sounds like someone's coming."

They tensed as two loud screams reached their ears. At the end of the corridor, Tori and Sira ran by followed by a giant dragon.

"Um…" Kurama said, his mind unable to process what he had seen.

Hiei shook his head. "Idiots."

* * *

"What the hell is wrong with this dragon?" Sira said. After running for ten minutes they found a hole in the wall. Tori, Sira, Haku, and Akira squeezed in just as the dragon reached them. It clawed at the opening and growled.

"Apparently it has issues," Tori glared at Sira. "Though this wouldn't be a problem if you hadn't wished for the dragon in the first place."

"Excuse me," Sira said as she dodged a claw. "I am not a masochist. I did not intentionally call a dragon here."

Haku whimpered as the quartet backed further into the crevice.

"So, since we're supposed to be all powerful how about you go out there and beat the dragon," Sira said.

Tori looked at her as if she were an idiot. "I'm sorry but no amount of power is going to convince me that I am not going to be barbequed if I leave this crevice."

Just then the dragon let out a loud shriek before running away.

The girls gave each other confused looks before slowly creeping out.

Kurama and Hiei were standing there looking slightly amused.

"How did you find us?" Tori asked.

"We heard you idiots screaming," Hiei said.

Kurama's lips twitched. "How did you get a dragon to chase you?"

"Ask Sira," Tori said. "She's the one who created it."

"I am not a masochist!" Sira said as she stomped her foot.

Seeing the two demons' confused faces, the girls told them about their discovery.

"Hm, that could prove useful," Kurama said. "Especially to help us find Yusuke and Kuwabara."

"Whoop de doo for us," Tori said as she glanced down at the ground and rubbed her arm.

Kurama frowned at Tori's sudden change in demeanor, however, before he could comment, a hole appeared underneath Sira and Haku.

Sira's expression turned to one of disbelief. "Mother Fu…" She dropped, both her and Haku screaming.

Hiei let out a sigh before jumping in after her. As soon as he was through, the black hole closed up.

Tori sighed. "Poor Sira, weird shit really does happen to her often."

* * *

Sira let out a groan as she came too. She found herself in the middle of what appeared to be a dungeon. "Great," she muttered, "back to square one."

"Get off," a voice said from underneath her. She looked down to see Hiei glaring up at her.

"Ack," She said as she jumped off and backed up a couple of spaces.

Hiei stood up and brushed himself off. Sira felt something brush up against her and saw Haku staring at her worriedly.

"Don't worry, Haku," She said as she scooped him up into her arms. "We'll be okay."

"Come on," Hiei said as he grabbed her and pulled her to her feet. "We need to get going."

His hand was still on her arm causing her to blush. Realizing this, she quickly yanked her arm away. "Fine, let's go." She said before quickly hurrying on ahead.

* * *

Kurama cast a glance at Tori. Ever since Sira had fallen down the hole, she had been relatively quiet. He was pretty sure though that the cause in her change of demeanor was something else. "Tori, is everything alright?" He asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Tori flinched away from his hand. "It's nothing."

Kurama frowned. "Tori," He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to face him. "What's wrong?"

Tori looked away.

"She is worried about her powers, you see," Akira said as he casually groomed himself. "She's afraid that your love wasn't meant to be."

"Akira," Tori said as she glared at him. Her eyes widened as she heard Kurama laugh behind her. "That isn't funny." She said as she turned back towards him.

"Tori…" Kurama began.

"You don't understand," She shook her head. "I could have brainwashed you unconsciously. You probably don't even like me…" Her glare returned as Kurama burst out into laughter. "Why won't you take me seriously?"

Kurama quickly sobered up. "Tori, I have had S class siren demons try to seduce me with all their willpower and have had no effect. Do you honestly think you could do it subconsciously?"

"Well no, but…"

"Then quit worrying," He said as he pulled her into a hug. She blushed as they broke apart. "Now how about we find the others."

* * *

"What are you doing?"

Sira started slightly from her thoughts. They had been walking in silence for fifteen minutes before Hiei spoke.

She narrowed her gaze at him. "I'm walking, what does it look like." She started to walk again when she felt him grab her shoulder. She turned around and clinched her fists. "What?"

"Whatever you're so pissed off about, deal with it," Hiei said. "I don't want to have to safe your ass just cause you're too distracted to pay attention."

"Oh really," Sira said sarcastically. "Well, I'm so glad you care." She laughed. "Oh, wait you don't. You don't care about anything."

Hiei let out an exasperated sigh. "What are you talking about?"

"You don't just kiss someone and then disappear," Sira said.

"Hn," Hiei said.

Sira's face turned bright red. "Don't you Hn, me." She raised her hand to slap him but he stopped her hand inches from his face.

"You're trying my patience," Hiei said through clinched teeth.

Sira's shoulders drooped as her hand fell. "It's not like you would understand. You don't believe in love."

Haku cocked his head to one side as he watched Sira and Hiei stare at each other.

"You're right, I think love is a pointless emotion and humans are complete idiots," Hiei said as he walked by her.

Sira was about to protest when Hiei added. "However," He turned back to face her. "You, I tolerate."

Her eyes widened as her heart skipped a beat. To most people that wouldn't mean much but coming from Hiei…

"You coming?" Hiei asked.

Sira blushed and nodded. "Yeah, I'm coming."

Haku watched Sira and Hiei walk ahead. He was quite pleased with how things were turning out. With a bark and a slight wag of his tail, he quickly followed after him.

* * *

"Do you hear voices?" Tori asked.

Kuruam frowned slightly as he strained to listen. He smirked. "Sounds likes Yusuke and Kuwabara."

Sure enough around the corner, they found Kuwabara and Yusuke in a cage, hanging upside down in chains.

Tori giggled as she tilted her head to her side. "Hanging out are we?"

"You're so funny," Yusuke said as he squirmed slightly. "Not. Now get us out of here."

"Hm, it seems their hands are tied," Akira said as he gave Tori a grin. "Why don't you give your new powers a try?"

"Huh," Tori asked. "Oh, that."

"What is he talking about?" Kuwabara asked.

Kurama placed his hand on her shoulder. "It's worth a try."

Tori sighed as she opened the cage door. "Okay, but don't expect anything." She held her hand up against Yusuke's chains.

"What are you doing?" Yusuke asked, his voice a mixture between annoyance and nervousness.

Tori ignored him as she concentrated on melting the chains with her hand. She heard a loud hissing sound and gasped as she saw the metal glow hot red and melt away.

"How did you do that?" Yusuke said as he stood up and rubbed the circulation back into his wrists.

"I'm still figuring it out," Tori said as she finished melting the chains on Kuwabara. "Now let's find Sira and Hiei."

* * *

Haku let out a small whimper as he pawed Sira's ankle.

"I know how you feel," Sira said as she scooped him up in her arms.

A pair of burgundy red doors towered before them. Besides making her feel small, the doors also had an ominous feel to them.

"Uh, Hiei…" Sira began. "Maybe we should…"

He opened the doors and walked in.

Sira sighed. "Never mind then." She glanced down at Haku who was cocking his head at her. "Your master needs to learn to be more cautious."

"Sira," Hiei said.

She hurried inside only to stop a few feet in and gasp. "What the hell?"

The inside of the room was filled with machines that hummed at a steady rhythm. One wall was entirely covered in monitors. Each monitor an image of earth was displayed.

"Big brother's watching," Sira said as she glanced towards Hiei.

He was staring up at the ceiling. "There's something in the cage above us."

A pair of big, very familiar, eyes peered out of the cage.

Sira grinned. "Hey, it's the molester."

The Argos' eyes narrowed. "Would you call me by my name." He frowned. "Preferably before your boyfriend over there kills me."

Hiei's glare was deeper than usual and his hands were balled in fists.

Sira laughed sheepishly. "Oh, he's not really a molester. He just creeped me out the first time I met him."

"Hn," Hiei said before he flitted up to the cage and freed the Argos.

"Do you have any idea why there are monitors, here?" Sira asked as they landed on the ground.

The Argos nodded. "The one who has been pulling the strings the entire time is named Dante. Apparently, he has been planning to take over the different dimensions via a…" He trailed off as footsteps approached them.

Everyone tensed as the doors creaked open. Akira popped his head from around the door.

"Oh, we thought we heard someone here," He craned his neck back. "Don't worry guys, the coast is clear."

The others slowly entered.

Tori grinned when she saw her best friend. "Sira, I'm glad you're alright."

Sira pointed upwards. "Personally, I think someone up there thinks it's hilarious to put me in awkward slash dangerous situations."

"Now isn't the time for frivolity," The Argos anxiously scanned the room. "He wouldn't have left here without a reason. He…" The Argos stopped as he paled.

Everyone slowly turned to face the entrance. A giant creature stood before them. It wore a long hooded coat that reached the floor. A dragon-like tail dragged on the ground sounding like nails on chalkboard. Its three fingered clawed hands reached up and removed its hood causing the group to gasp. It had the head of a king cobra.

"So," The creature's eyes narrowed. "It's seems everyone is here."

"Is that Dante?" Sira asked the Argos.

He nodded slightly. "Yes, he's the most dangerous he…"

"Silence!" Dante yelled. With a flick of his wrist, shadows wrapped themselves around the Argos and dragged him off to the side. "I won't let you ruin the surprise, you wretched creature." He grinned as he looked over them. "I see that you found my monitors."

"What are you planning to do," Yusuke said with a smirk. "Take over the world?"

Dante's teeth gleamed in the dim light. "Quite the contrary, I plan to take over all the worlds." He motioned to the monitors. "These monitors show all the earths in all of the dimensions." His head swiveled to Sira and Tori. "Including yours."

Both girls gasped as they turned back to the monitors.

The Argos broke out of the shadows' hold and yelled. "You're crazy. If you opened that many portals you'll disrupt the fabric of time and space."

"If it means that I will control all the worlds then so be it," Dante hissed.

"We'll stop you," Kuwabara's spirit sword materialized in his right hand. "You can't defeat all of us."

"You won't be able to stop me," Dante said as he raised his hands. Sira frowned as she noticed thin silver strings extend from his fingers to the ground. "You'll be too busy fighting yourselves." He raised his hands. As he did, the group's shadows were pulled from the ground and forced into fighting positions.

"Shit," Yusuke muttered.

Immediately Kurama, Yusuke, Hiei, and Kuwabara charged their shadows while Tori, Sira, Haku, and Akira cowered in a corner.

"Huh, how come we don't get shadows to fight?" Sira asked as she watched Hiei dodge his shadow clone's fire. "Are we the rejects or something?"

"You're actually complaining?" Tori said in disbelief.

Both girls winced when Kuwabara was slammed into a wall nearby.

"Uh, no" Sira said. "I was just stating an observation."

They were distracted by growls off to their right. The Argos was busy trying to free itself from the shadow binds.

Tori and Sira quickly ran over and pulled the shadows away from Argos. As soon as they fell to the ground, the shadows dissolved.

"Please tell me you've figured out the answer to my riddle," The Argos said.

"We did," Tori said.

"But how can we help defeat him." Sira glanced back at the battle. "The others can't even get near him."

Indeed, Kurama, Hiei, Yusuke, and Kuwabara couldn't get anywhere near Dante. The shadow clones seemed to know their every move. Tori and Sira could tell that they were getting exhausted. They wouldn't be able to last a lot longer.

"Look over in the corner," The Argos said. "Do you see that strange glowing machine?"

The machine that he was referring to was round in shape. There were slits at the top allowing a bright white light to shine through. It was winking making the girls believe that the light must be moving within the machine.

"Yeah," Tori said. "So."

"So, that machine is what gives Dante the power to go to other dimensions. Generally, it's safe but the amount he's acquired together in such a small amount of space makes it unstable." The Argos looked back at him. "Plus, the fact he is using it as energy for himself, we could have a huge problem on our hands."

"So, what are we supposed to do?" Sira asked. She cast a glance at Dante to make sure he wasn't paying attention.

"I want you two to go and disperse the energy." The Argos said. "Be careful though, it's almost as hot as the sun."

"Say what?" Sira said.

"Almost as hot as the sun?" Tori whimpered.

"You'll be fine," Akira said. "Although I would hurry because we don't have much time."

"There is no way I can convince myself that I'm not going to be burned to a crisp," Tori said.

The Argos sighed. "Look, I chose you two for a reason. You are a writer and an artist, the two most creative and open-minded class of people there are. Most people don't understand that when you write or draw your characters that you see them in explicit details in your minds. For that temporary time you are in your craft, they are real." He placed a paw on each of their shoulders. "That why I know that you can do this."

Both girls were stunned for a moment, unsure of how to react.

"Damn it," Sira said with a glare. "Why did you have to go and be sweet and motivational?"

"Come on, let's go save the world, then" Tori said.

Sira motioned Haku to stay before grinning at Tori. "You always wanted to say that didn't you?"

Tori grinned. "Yep."

The two girls quickly crept across the floor, keeping one eye on the battle while the other was focused on the machine. Getting closer, they could feel the heat emanating from the machine.

"I am an ice cream," Sira muttered. "I big freaking vanilla ice cream."

Feeling suddenly nervous, Tori reached out and grabbed Sira's hand. "Okay, I'm as cold as ice. I can't be burned." She said.

The heat dissipated a little.

Once they reached the machine, the girls were forced to squint. The machine was making a loud whirring sound.

"So, any ideas?" Sira asked.

Tori grinned sheepishly. "I was hoping you had some."

"We suck as heroes," Sira said she examined the lid and tapped a button. The machine made a beep before the lid flew off.

Both girls quickly looked back and were relieved to see that Dante was still distracted by the others.

Upon closer examination, the light looked almost syrupy with a hint of purple.

"We could pick it up," Sira said. She wasn't sure where the thought came from but the more she thought about it the more it made sense.

"Uh, light's intangible." Tori said

"Yeah, but we can influence this world," Sira said with a grin. "Let's just pretend it's putty."

"Wow, I never would have thought that acting like a five-year-old would help me save the world," Tori muttered.

Both girls casted nervous glances at each other before sticking their hands into the machine. Their hands burned so bad that they both thought they would scream but the feeling soon was replaced by a strange numbness.

Frowning, they pulled their hands out. Each girl had an orb of the energy sitting in their hands.

Dante let out a growl as he turned to face him. The shadow clones scrunched up and slowly evaporated. "You two!" He stomped towards them angrily. "I should have gotten rid of you a long time ago."

Both girls took a step back, praying the guys would get to them in time.

"What should we do?" Tori said.

The orbs began to glow in their hands. A loud shrieking sound filled the air as everything became white. The girls closed their eyes, sure they were going to die.

A couple of seconds later, the shrieking stopped. Tori and Sira carefully opened their eyes and found their breath caught in their throats.

"No way, no freaking way," Sira said.

Christmas music filled the air as the smells from the food court greeted them. They were back at the mall and it was still Christmas.

"But," Tori said, her eyes filled with tears. "We don't know if they're okay." Her gaze drifted to the ground. "We never even got to say goodbye."

* * *

L.A.: The end.

Amu: (is still hiding behind random couch) You have a death wish, don't you?

L.A.: Of course not which is why there is still one more chapter after this.

Amu: (is refusing to quit hiding behind random couch) That means we get to have a party, right?

L.A.: Only if you quit camping behind my couch.

Amu: (peers cautiously from behind random couch) Eh, maybe later.

L.A.: (mutters) She better not leave me any presents. Anyway, please read and review!


	39. Epilogue

Epilogue

* * *

L.A.: So this would have come out sooner if it weren't for my charger to my laptop spontaneously melting leaving me computorless for the rest of Christmas break.

Amu: Though you have to admit, not many people can use the excuse of a melting charger.

L.A.: Anyway it's the last chapter!

Amu: (blows party favor) YAY! PIE!

L.A.: Sometimes I think you only throw these parties just so you can get pie.

Amu: (blows party favor) Pie makes the world go round!

L.A.: Anyway, since I use fanfiction to improve my writing and experiment this chapter is going to have something new. The centered italics parts are Sira's writing.

Amu: (Blows party favor) YAY! RANDOM EXPERIMENT!

L.A.: Blow that party favor in my ear again and I'll take it away from you. Anyway, I think I responded to everyone last chapter. The only one I couldn't was Yume Ninja. So sorry but thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I only own my characters and the last chapter party! (sob) It's almost over!

* * *

Sira glared at the blank word document before her. The cursor's blinking made her feel as if it were mocking her. Her creative writing professor was expecting them to write a five to seven page self-reflection that had a conversational feel to it while still being poetic.

She had no idea what the professor was talking about and it seemed she was starting to suffer from the infamous writer's block. A part of her wanted to write about the events that transpired over Christmas break but she knew no one believed her.

She sighed as she drummed her fingers on the keypad. Had it really been two months since they returned to their dimension?

That time seemed like a blur. She remembered staring blankly ahead as Alexis ran over and demanded that Tori and she confirm her story about the other world. That was probably the only good thing that happened. Seeing, Alexis embarrass herself.

After wandering aimlessly through the mall, the girls had found a movie store and proceeded to buy all the seasons of Yu Yu Hakusho. The rest of Christmas break was spent in Sira's den, eating junk food, watching Yu Yu Hakusho, and bawling their eyes out. Their parents were beginning to wonder if they should send Tori and Sira to the psychologists.

However, time moved on and the girls soon found themselves back at their respective colleges.

Sira sighed as she sat back in her chair and glared at the computer. "Why do I keep spacing out?" Sira said as she pounded her fist against her forehead. "It's over, you're not going back. Now focus."

She leaned back to her keyboard and began to type.

_I was a girl lost in a fantasy._

"Too overdramatic," Sira muttered as she deleted the sentence.

_I am a blonde-haired blue-eyed girl who likes writing._

"Too simple," Sira said as she once again deleted her sentence.

_I have absolutely no idea what to write._

"Wish that could be my paper," Sira said with a grin. She got up and began to pace back and forth. No matter how hard she focused on her paper, the more her mind strayed to the questions. Was everyone in the Yu Yu Hakusho world okay? Did they defeat Dante? What happened to them? Most importantly, had that all been a dream?

"Ugh!" Sira said as she collapsed in her chair.

She needed to get this off her chest. "Maybe if I free write…" She leaned into her keyboard and began to type.

_Real life sucks. There is no other way to describe it. You go through the daily grind and don't have time to think about the questions. _

Sira checked the clock. Five minutes till she had to leave for class. She sighed as she went back to her typing.

_Let's face it. We can't enjoy fairytales, adventures are for books, and romance only happens to those that have the time._

She checked the clock again before grabbing her things and heading out. Her mind was still wrapped around her writing.

_My mind is in reality but my heart forever lives in dreams. Is it so wrong to wish for something that cannot happen? Is it so wrong to dream?_

She passed the basketball courts without a second glance. She was used to the shouting, the laughing, and…the barking?

_But maybe that is our problem. We're too afraid to dream because to dream would be to admit we are not fully satisfied with what we have; that we yearn to have or be something more._

She felt the breath catch in her throat as someone scratched her ankle. Looking down, she saw familiar face staring back at her. "Haku," She whispered as she quickly scooped him up and cradled him in her arms.

"Dante was destroyed when you left," a familiar voice said as she looked up. "In his place, a portal was formed; and, for some reason, it won't seem to close."

It was Hiei. The person she had been longing to see the most. Knowing that he would probably get angry at her but not caring, she quickly ran towards him and hugged him. Haku was nearly squashed in the process.

"Hn," Hiei said but she felt his arms tighten around her.

_But maybe, fearing the dream is wrong. In reality, you must achieve and in order to achieve you need think bigger and believe. Isn't that what we do when we dream?_

* * *

Tori tapped her pencil against her desk. Although she loved art, the history part could sometimes bore her to tears, especially when the weather was so pretty. She sighed wondering what Kurama was doing at the moment. A slight murmur from the back of the room reached her ears. Curious, Tori looked back and gasped.

A dozen sapphire blue roses had grown up by the window. This in itself wouldn't have been strange. However, her classroom was two stories high.

_Kids got it right. Dream big or die trying. Who knows, maybe even in real life you can get those fairytale endings._

Her teacher yelled at her as she sprinted out the door. Tori didn't care at the moment. She told him that sapphire roses were his favorite. It had to be him who did it. No one else.

She threw the door open to the outside, her lungs hurting from gulping oxygen. Squinting she scanned the area, praying that he was still there.

And he was, just as she had remembered him. Kurama smiled as he slipped his rose whip back in his hair.

Tori slowly walked up to him. Millions of questions and thoughts were racing through her head. She pushed them aside. She would have plenty of time to ask them later. Besides she had something far more important to say.

"Hey stranger," Tori said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "What took you so long?"

_Dream the perfect dream_

_Make it good so don't rush._

_Sometimes a dream can start so simple_

_With the scribble of a pencil or a paintbrush._

* * *

L.A.: Is it a little hokey? Yes? Do I care? Nope, because I like it that way.

Amu: (blows party favor) YAY! HOKEY!

L.A.: That's it! (steals party favor) No more party favor.

Amu: (pouts) BOO! L.A.!

L.A.: Why are you complaining? There's pie.

Amu: YAY! PIE!

L.A.: (shakes head) Well apparently she's had too much sugar.

Amu: (is shoving pie down her throat.)

L.A.: …aren't you supposed to ask me a certain question?

Amu: (blank stare as pie crumbs fall from mouth) Oh, yeah. Is there going to be a sequel?

L.A.: Probably not since A) originals are always better that sequels and B) I do not have a great plot bunny at this time.

Amu: Curse the plot bunnies! They're evil!

L.A.: Anyway, I do have another story planned for Yu Yu Hakusho but when it will be up, I'm not sure. I plan to jump around in other sections of fanfiction as well since there are way too many plot bunnies in my head and not enough room.

Amu: Plus she still has this absurd belief that one day she will write for every category in fanfiction including the ones she hates.

L.A.: Anyway, it's been fun. Thank you so much for your support in this story and me! Finally remember to…

L.A. and Amu: READ AND REVIEW! BYE!


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